Tuesday marks the US DVD release of THE RETURN, a debut feature by Andrei ... Zyvagintsev. His name steadfastly refuses to stick in my head, which is unfortunate, because he's made what may be my favorite film of the year.*

I prefer to avoid plot descriptions when recommending movies. Suffice it to say that it's a story about a Russian boy and his brother, one that's simultaneously specific and nuanced in its characterization and universal in its themes. What's remarkable is how the story's told. Zyvagintsev has a handle on tone that's a mix between the acuity of Kieslowski and the transcendence of Tarkovsky. And he knows how to use his camera in a really, really amazing way: not in a "hey, look, isn't this shot cool?" way, but a way in which the movement and framing never stop evoking the maximum possible nuance. A shot near the end, by withholding a key piece of location information, manages to take what might otherwise be an ordinary scene and transform it into something almost mystically beautiful and deeply sad, all at once.

It's not a light-hearted film - one friend I recommended it to appreciated it but was in the wrong mood for it, so don't go expecting SHAUN OF THE DEAD. At the risk of sounding all pretentious and stuff, this movie is art, in a way only NOTRE MUSIQUE has approached of any movie I've seen this year, and in a way few films ever succeed at.

*The competition right now is with ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, with SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HERO, and OLD BOY right on their heels.

I was heartened to see the rave review of the disc at digitallyOBSESSED. I missed this film in its limited theatrical run, but pre-ordered it based on the opinions of those I respect. Can't wait.

This probably my favorite film of the year so far, too (its biggest competition being TIME OF THE WOLF, DOGVILLE, and ETERNAL SUNSHINE). This is one of those films that really takes you somewhere and sticks around in your heart and head for long time, something I'd also apply to Kieslowski since Doug mentioned him above. Like Doug, I had a similar experience where I recommended THE RETURN to a friend who was decidedly underwhelmed by it, so it certainly may be one of those "got to be in the right mood" movies. Personally, I found it rather transcendent.