Elena

"A wise and impeccably controlled drama that finds Russian helmer Andrey Zvyagintsev in outstanding form…. A taut, engrossing yarn about a coveted inheritance, cruel class differences, and quietly monstrous misdeeds."—Variety

Elena is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller from the masterful director of the Golden Globe–nominated The Return. Sixtyish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share Vladimir's palatial Moscow apartment—he's a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she's his dowdy former nurse who has clearly "married up." Estranged from his own wild-child daughter, Vladimir openly despises his wife's freeloading son and family. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife's potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan. This stylish, suspenseful domestic thriller is punctuated by Philip Glass's entrancing, Hitchcockian music. (109 mins., 35mm)