The action in this lavishly produced film takes place at an oddly ark-shaped mansion during World War I, and in spirit (although not in story) it reflects the play which inspired it, the ferociously antiwar Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw. A large group of family and friends have gathered at this country house to dance, drink, and converse. Their conversation, in particular, is adorned with erudite literary references and quotations. Despite their apparent refinement, their preoccupations are simple: sex and violence. Disquieting images break the tranquility of the vacationers' inappropriate idyll: some of these include documentary footage of starving African children, images (both real and re-enacted) of George Bernard Shaw going about his daily life, and a corpse coming to life on an autopsy table, only to cheapen that miracle by scolding a group of women. The music used in the film ironically points to its disturbing message and is uniformly anachronistic.

Cast & crew

Aleksandr Sokurov

Director

Ramaz Chkhikvadze

Shotover

Alla Osipenko

Ariadne

D

Dmitry Bryantsev

Hector

Tatiana Yegorova

Hesione

Irina Sokolova

Guinness's nurse

Vladimir Zamanskiy

Madzini

T

Tatiana Yegorova

Vadim Zhuk

I

Ilya Rivin

V

Vladimir Dmitriev

Виктория Юриздицкая

Элли