Minotaur — English subs

In this gripping drama by Andrey Zvyagintsev, successful Russian businessman Gleb appears to have it all. He lives with his wife Galina and teenage son Seryozha in a large glass villa on the outskirts of a provincial city. When Russia invades Ukraine in 2022, the realities of the war increasingly intrude on his daily life: employees flee abroad, and Gleb’s company is forced to contribute to the mobilisation effort.

As his business comes under pressure and social unrest intensifies, Gleb discovers that his wife is having an affair, and his grip on reality begins to slip. Caught between political pressure, business interests and personal humiliation, he struggles to maintain control of his life. This sets in motion an increasingly volatile confrontation with himself and those around him, as the boundaries between political reality and private life begin to blur.

With Minotaur, Russian master filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev returned to the main competition at Cannes after nearly a decade, where the film won the Grand Prix. It was met with great enthusiasm by the international film press, with particular praise for the work of longtime cinematographer Mikhail Krichman and the powerful performances of lead actors Dmitriy Mazurov and Iris Lebedeva.

The screenplay is based on Claude Chabrol’s La Femme Infidèle (1969), and the haunting score was composed by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine. Drawing on the myth of the Minotaur, Zvyagintsev crafts a gripping thriller about guilt, choices and human vulnerability.