by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
Based on a story of a husband's obsession by Leo Tolstoy, director Gabriela Rosaleva has transformed Tolstoy's misogynist tract into an inflammatory though indirect condemnation of the husband's behavior. The husband's problem is that he is convinced his wife is having an affair with the violinist who accompanies her in their musical performances. In reality, the wife uses the music of great composers like Beethoven as an escape from her husband's oppressive behavior. She is the sensible yet weakly victim, unable to stand up to him, and he is the horse's arse that cannot see his own aberration for what it is. Tolstoy notwithstanding, the film remains a somewhat uneven drama.
