Russia foreign Oscar entry “Paradise” focuses on power of "hateful rhetoric"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian filmmakers have made numerous movies about World War II. But only on rare occasions they have specifically addressed the issue of Holocaust – and veteran director Andrei Konchalovsky did just that in his Paradise, The Hollywood Reporter said.

"One of the most terrifying moments of our generation’s history was the rise of the Nazi party and the extermination of millions of Jews and others who did not fit into the Nazi ideal of a 'perfect' German 'paradise'," says Konchalovsky.

According to the director, the film is his reflection on the twentieth century, "filled with great illusions buried in ruins, the dangers of hateful rhetoric and the need for mankind to use the power of love to triumph over evil."

Paradise is centered on three individuals coming from different backgrounds, whose paths cross amidst most hellish events experienced by Europe in the mid-twentieth century. Olga, a Russian aristocratic immigrant, is arrested and imprisoned in occupied France sheltering Jewish children. Jules, a French collaborator investigating Olga's case, grows fond of her and offers to go light on her punishment in exchange for sexual favors. At a concentration camp, Olga meets Helmut, a high-ranking Nazi officer who once was madly in love with her and the rekindling of their romance offers hope.

"Motivated by the atrocities of war, each character makes a significant life-altering decision based on their own belief of what is right," says Konchalovsky. "Can a person preserve their humanity, having experienced hell on earth?"

Konchalovsky explains his decision to shoot the film in black and white, with a muted ambience, by his desire to "enhances the documentary-style confessional monologues of the main characters."

"The director’s main goal is for the audience to feel they are watching archival footage that has been edited to create one final coherent story, with a focus not on the melodramatic but instead on observations of life and death and the impending doom of certain false ideals," Konchalovsky says.

According to the director, the events of the mid-twentieth centuries resonate with contemporary events strongly enough.

"These atrocities exposed the depths of mankind’s capabilities for evil and although these events happened in the past, the same kind of radical and hateful thinking is apparent today and threatening the lives and safety of many around the world," he concludes.