Winter journey - Trailer HD

Directed by Sergei Taramajev and Liubov Lvova, this controversial Russian film introduces us to opera singer, Erik, who’s rehearsing the Winterreise cycle of Schubert songs for audition. When a violent street thug, Lyokha, steals his phone, the refined conservatory student becomes captivated rather than repelled, seemingly entranced by the man’s menacing and brutal manner. When the thief gets in touch with Erik later, proudly calling him on the man’s own cell phone, Erik willingly steps right out of his own rigidly disciplined world into chaos. The mere fact that Winter Journey exists is a bizarre contradiction. It had been approved by the Russian Ministry of Culture before Putin instituted his draconian “anti-gay propaganda” law but has been quickly shelved for release in that country. Theatres that had scheduled screenings cancelled them. This writer-director team doesn’t force a happy relationship storyline here, instead they magnify a few magical moments the men share as they pursue an unlikely relationship based on attraction and fuelled by drugs and rage. It’s a stark tale with some unsettling scenes of violence—and what else would you expect of a gorgeously constructed, complex tale of gay men in Russia today? See more at: http://www.queerfilmfestival.ca/viewshowtime.php?stid=746#sthash.pSksN9bA.dpuf