A look into the soul of modern Russia as told through a reinterpretation of the biblical story of Job. It sounds boring, but it actually gets its arms around a lot of stuff, such as corruption, the relation between church and state and the individual seeking justice in a broken system (similar to something like _Three Billboards_). It’s very bleak and nihilistic, but its small rural setting makes the sequence of events believable. I honestly wonder why the Russian government funded this honest, critical portrait of its own institutions, but I’m not complaining. The acting, dialogue and characters are great, trusting the viewer to read between the lines and look for visual details that will enrich the experience. The cinematography is also amazing, there’s some really beautiful use of natural light here and the compositions during the outdoor scenes are occasionally stunning. The music is a little too sparse for my liking, though it’s arguable that the emotional heft of the film is more powerful without any additional score. It’s not the easiest watch, but the film is satisfying on multiple levels. Fans of slice of life character studies (e.g. _Sorry We Missed You, Manchester by the Sea, The Florida Project_) will probably love it, but it also functions as a critical systematic analysis of society (e.g. _The Wire, Three Billboards, Parasite_). Amazing film.

8.5/10