manus_nigra

Using a traditional folklore anthology as guideline (XVII century "Lu cunto de li cunti" by Gian Battista Basile) Garrone puts on screen three gorgeous (loosely) intertwined stories that have for protagonists various Kings and Queens facing huge obsessions. - In one Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly are a royal couple that struggles to get an heir, until a mysterious cloaked man offers them a magical solution. The birth of the child will not be exactly as expected. - In another Vincent Cassel is a sex-maniac king that became obsessed by a mysterious woman with a beautiful voice. Her true identity is, well... complicated; and her desire to became queen will result in a magical help that will be for her both a blessing and a curse. - In the last story Toby Jones is a king so fascinated by a magical animal to neglect her only daughter Viola and her desire to marry. The death of the animal and the desperate need for affection of the king will result in a bizarre challenge that will mark a dire fate for the princess. Every story it's connected by the themes of blood and duplicity: how obsession seems like love and makes you do things without caring for the consequences. All this in a slow paced, softly spoken movie that suddenly outburst in tense scenes of violence, gore and horror; always gorgeous in its unique aesthetic based on the constant opposition between rich baroque splendor and poor barren settings. It may appear "bare" by the current standards of fantasy movies but that's exactly the point: this is not fantasy, it's folklore; even a grand task like slaying a sea dragon became trivial compared to the depths of human relationships.

Based on the Nicolai Lilin book, the movie is the story of two friends growing up inside a syberian criminal clan. Kolyma and Gagarin, friends from childhood, rise guided by grandfather Kuzya in the strong "honest criminal" code of their community. Their bond is so strong that Gagarin takes a 7 year prison sentence to save his friend; when he returns home, strongly changed and estranged from his roots,they try to bond again but their differences arise until they clash upon the love for the beautiful and child-minded Xenia.

The strange (and real) syberian criminal code is at the core of the movie and a reason alone to see the movie; but every bit of the story is well managed: very good acted and masterfully directed by Gabriele Salvatores, with a beautiful cinematography and a very "narrative" soundtrack.

Educazione Siberiana is a little masterpiece in modern movie-making that uses the usual "criminal action" tropes (from the code of honor to car chases and special forces operations) in a very personal way, to create a compelling, engaging and emotional story of education, friendship and impossible love.