Details

Release year: 2007

Storyline

A trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city.

Top credits

Directors

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Writers

Cast

Konstantin Lavronenko — Alexander
Maria Bonnevie — Vera
Aleksandr Baluev — Mark
Dmitriy Ulyanov — Robert

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Did you know

• The film required a larger budget than it may seem because the filmmakers wanted "Izgnanie" to be "out of time and place" and did their best so the audience would not guess where and when the film took place. Even car plates and signboards were designed specially for the film. The props were bought in Germany, the "town" part of the film was shot in Belgium and northern France, and the "country" part was shot in Moldova.

• The children were playing with a puzzle of the Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci while the doctors arrived.

• The film is loosely based on a short story by William Saroyan titled "The Laughing Matter." Zvyagintsev and his co-writer significantly transformed the narrative, stripping it down and reshaping it into a more symbolic, spiritual exploration rather than a straightforward adaptation.