Master of Russian animation, Andrei Khrzhanovsky has turned the innovative opera by Dmitri Shostakovich—based on the eponymous novella by Nikolai Gogol and effectively banned in the Soviet Union—into a surrealist dream made of drawn animation, music, and documentary footage. The magical and heart-wrenching picture takes the viewer on a journey to the world of the Russian Avant-Garde, whose history resonates with the modern day.
One morning Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov wakes up without his nose. As he goes searching for the missing body part, Kovalyov discovers that his nose now lives a separate life—a life much more exciting than his own. In 1928, Dmitri Shostakovich adapted the famous short story by Nikolai Gogol into his first opera, which, after the initial few performances, was forgotten until the 1970s.
Director, artist, and animator Andrey Khrzhanovsky’s work is an adaptation of both Shostakovich’s opera and the original novella. Entering into a dialogue with both, he has created his own Nose—a surrealist, absurdist and scary story about the relationships between the artist and their time—between art and power—whose characters, along with Shostakovich and Gogol, include Vsevolod Meyerhold, Mikhail Bulgakov, and a few other historical figures. The combination of Khrzhanovsky’s unique animation style, the opera score, and documentary footage creates a true requiem for the Russian Avant-Garde of the twentieth century, whose history resonates with the modern day. The picture premiered at the 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam and won the Jury Award at the Annecy International Film Festival.
The Nose or Conspiracy of Mavericks
Director Andrey Khrzhanovsky
Russia, 2020. 89 min. 16+
