Beanpole
Watch It This Weekend
What: Beanpole is a raw and passionate love story taking place in Leningrad right after World War II. This film is directed by the young and talented Russian film director Kantemir Balagov.
Where: Check here for times and dates to watch Beanpole at The Film Forum.
Where: Check here for times and dates to watch Beanpole at The Film Forum.
Why: Watch Beanpole because it is a beautifully told story that deserves your attention. Enter the movie theater with an open mind. Don't think for a minute that love blossoms only in flowery and saccharine backgrounds. Gravity of life in Leningrad at the end of World World II only adds to the tragic quality of what you are about to watch. Bleak scenery becomes secondary and at times highlights the intensity of dramatic situations and storylines of forbidden love. Raw feelings and powerful emotions are understood universally if captured and transmitted in a genuine way. Balagov does that in Beanpole. Love surpasses borders. A heartbreak gets us all the time. Beanpole will make an impression that will stay with you.
The Noise: Beanpole captures moments and sensations aroused furiously by the love of two women right after WWII. This film has been dubbed as an important work of LGBT cinema canon. It has fueled plenty of controversy in Russia. Despite all the negativity in the director's homeland, Beanpole has received plenty of attention by film critics and moviegoers in the international cinematic circles. Kantemir Balagov himself has decided to steer clear of becoming part of any Russian or international debates surrounding his latest work. According to him, this film is about human beings’ relationships. In a piece for The Face Value publication, Kantemir said that love shouldn’t have a gender.
The Noise: Beanpole captures moments and sensations aroused furiously by the love of two women right after WWII. This film has been dubbed as an important work of LGBT cinema canon. It has fueled plenty of controversy in Russia. Despite all the negativity in the director's homeland, Beanpole has received plenty of attention by film critics and moviegoers in the international cinematic circles. Kantemir Balagov himself has decided to steer clear of becoming part of any Russian or international debates surrounding his latest work. According to him, this film is about human beings’ relationships. In a piece for The Face Value publication, Kantemir said that love shouldn’t have a gender.
9 Fun Facts about Beanpole & Balagov
1- Kantemir Balagov, Beanpole's director, is young. He was born on July 28, 1991.
2- He is from the Russian city of Nalchik located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, near the Georgian border. He believes his work has a unique edge and perspective due to the rough or even bleak background he grew up in.
3- Beanpole is Balagov's third film. It was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
4- Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War inspired the storyline of Beanpole. Balagov read diaries written by early 20th Century Russian women who detailed their longing for other women and clandestine lesbian trysts.
5- Balagov won Cannes' Un Certain Regard Prize in 2019 for Beanpole.
6- His favorite authors are Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Faulkner.
7- He loves video games like Red Dead Redemption and the Scary Movie series.
8- Kantemir is a fan of the beautiful game of soccer. His roots for the English Football team of Manchester United.
9- He likes tattoos. Kantemir has an inked sleeve inspired by Faust. He has a symbol of Thirty Seconds to Mars on his wrist, and “Hakuna Matata” (problem-free philosophy from Lion King) is inked on his left forearm.
Have you bought your tickets to Beanpole yet? Sends us your comments. What did you think of the film?
2- He is from the Russian city of Nalchik located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, near the Georgian border. He believes his work has a unique edge and perspective due to the rough or even bleak background he grew up in.
3- Beanpole is Balagov's third film. It was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
4- Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War inspired the storyline of Beanpole. Balagov read diaries written by early 20th Century Russian women who detailed their longing for other women and clandestine lesbian trysts.
5- Balagov won Cannes' Un Certain Regard Prize in 2019 for Beanpole.
6- His favorite authors are Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Faulkner.
7- He loves video games like Red Dead Redemption and the Scary Movie series.
8- Kantemir is a fan of the beautiful game of soccer. His roots for the English Football team of Manchester United.
9- He likes tattoos. Kantemir has an inked sleeve inspired by Faust. He has a symbol of Thirty Seconds to Mars on his wrist, and “Hakuna Matata” (problem-free philosophy from Lion King) is inked on his left forearm.
Have you bought your tickets to Beanpole yet? Sends us your comments. What did you think of the film?
