Oleg Isakov
Made under the auspices of the now-defunct Kyiv-based “ruïns collective” —which writer-director Oleg Isakov co-founded with Elias Parvulesco and Teta Tsybulnyk (they serve as producers here; see also Zong)—this is an austere fictional miniature populated by a small handful of alienated young city-dwellers. Their sparse monologues and dialogues occupy a limbo of quasi-communication, their alienation paralleled by this sober, steely work’s austere 4:3 compositions and abrupt editing-rhythms. Isakov overtly (and confidently) references Godard, Yeats and Bach; the cinematic voice with which he speaks is distinctly his own. (N.Y.)