Kira Muratova

In the old days it was called hypochrondria, or black melancholia. Now, apparently, it's termed the Asthenic Syndrome. Whatever it is, Nikolai, a teacher of epicly indifferent pupils, has got it, and it's not much fun. Worse yet, quite a few other people, even an entire society, seem to be afflicted with the same problem writ extremely large... (imdb)

The movie examines the lives of the not-so-fortunate dregs of society through airy but uneven absurdist comedy. The unfortunates of the title are mentally challenged people, some of whom could be termed insane - or merely inane. (imdb)

Blonde Lilia and brunette Violetta are fascinated by horse racing, and the young racers are more than a little attracted to them, too. However, the worlds of sporting and romance don't always coexist peacefully as the two girls learn the hard way through a series of touching, surreal, and sometimes heartbreaking encounters. (Amazon)

A single woman has put all her efforts into raising her only son, Sasha. One summer, Sasha goes to visit his real father. When he returns, his mother notices that Sasha has changed. (mubi.com)

Nadja, a country girl moves to the city and becomes Valya's maid. Valya, a member of the District Soviet, does not know that Nadja fell in love with Valya's currently absent husband. (imdb)

A young piano tuner befriends two rich old-ladies, and plots, with the help of his girlfriend, to betray their trust and steal from them.

Two strangely clad children walk the city streets on Christmas Eve as falling snow gently envelops everything in a powdery layer of magic. The pale-skinned youths look like a cross between dethroned royalty and homeless bums: the boy wears a luxuriously patterned coat and the girl a delicate muff, while both sport striking dark circles under their eyes.It is a deep, dark night and Alena (Lena Kostyuk) and Nikita (Roma Burlaka) are alone after the death of their mother.

Kira Muratova's Chekhovian Motifs combines the veteran director's fascination with the disjointed, "dark" side of social (especially family) relations with her penchant for formal experimentation, this time involving classic literary/dramatic sources.

A man goes to see his former schoolmate working at a boiler house and persuades him to burn in the furnace the corpse of his communal flat neighbor whom he has just murdered after a quarrel. An orphaned girl gets a job in the archives of the maternity home to find out the identity of her mother who abandoned her years earlier. She finds her, befriends her and takes the first opportunity to throw her into the sea.

Russian hospital doctor, Margarita has long been hoplessly in love with Grigori, an old friend but also a married man. When his mother unexpectedly dies, Grigori asks Margarita for a death certificate, confirming that his mother died of natural causes. (BFI)

Michail helps out Nicolai and Lubia giving them a ride to a nearby construction site. They will work there to build a new town and factory. (imdb)

A judge is devastated after the death of his wife and is neglectful of his children. His son befriends the children of a street beggar who live in an abandoned, derelict church. After his experience with his new friends, the young boy begins to feel sorry for his father and sympathizes with his loneliness.

A lawyer is preparing to defend a rich, respected man's wife, who killed a friend of the family who was attempting to sexually assault her. The scenario changes abruptly for all involved when the lawyer discovers a love letter from the woman to the murdered man. (MUBI)

This celebrated director's "exquisite cruelty" appears front and center when the death of a stage actor turns a theatrical drama into a real one. (imdb)

A story about a leader in Communist era, who happens to be so workaholic yet also so lonely. (imdb)