Alexey Balabanov is a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter and producer. He is called the most truthful, controversial and mysterious director of Russian cinema. Balabanov's films evoke delight or protest, many of them have even become prophetic. Such cult works of the director as "Brother", "Brother 2", "War", "Zhmurki", "I also want" and after the death of Balabanov have not lost their relevance. And "Cargo 200", "About freaks and people" still shock the audience. But many are sure that this strange and unsociable person “out of this world” is a genius.
early years
Alexey Oktyabrinovich Balabanov was born on February 25, 1959 in the city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). His parents are ordinary Soviet people who had nothing to do with cinema. In 1976, Alexey graduated from high school. During his school years, the future director dreamed of distant countries and travels, was interested in foreign languages. After graduating from school, Alexey enters the Gorky Institute of Foreign Languages, after graduating from which, he receives the profession of a translator. After graduating from the institute in 1981, the young man was called up to serve in the ranks of the Soviet army.
While serving in the army, Alexey, who served in the paratrooper forces, visited many regions of Africa and Central Asia. He also took part in the hostilities in Afghanistan. The experience and experiences after participating in the Afghan war were reflected in the film "Cargo 200". After military service, Balabanov gets a job at the Sverdlovsk film studio as an assistant director. In 1990, Alexei completed the experimental course of the directing department "Author's Cinema" under the guidance of L. Nikolaev and B. Galanter.
Directing activity
Balabanov shot his first short film "It used to be a different time" in 1987 in the Urals. The film was a term paper, the script for it was written overnight. Due to lack of funds, the picture was filmed in a restaurant. To attract people for filming in the crowd, the director asked his friend, Vyacheslav Butusov, to speak for the visitors. The music of the group "Nautilus Pompilius" with its leader Vyacheslav Butusov will sound more than once in Balabanov's subsequent works. After the successful debut of the "short film", Balabanov often shot non-professional artists in his films, seeking the most truthful and natural images.
In 1990 Balabanov moved to St. Petersburg. Together with his friend and producer Sergei Selyanov, Alexey becomes the founder of the STV film company. In 1991, an aspiring director in St. Petersburg shoots his first full-length art-house picture "Happy Days" (based on the work of Samuel Beckett). The main character of the picture was the novice actor Viktor Sukhorukov. The film won the prize for the best full-length film at the Moscow Debut Film Festival.
Two years later, the director shoots an adaptation of Franz Kafka's unfinished novel The Castle. In The Castle, Balabanov wants to show a model of the political structure of our country in his own interpretation. Kafka's mood is conveyed by the director's non-standard vision, the excellent acting of the actors (Svetlana Pismichenko, Viktor Sukhorukov), music and scenery.
The director received all-Russian fame and recognition after the release of the film "Brother" (1997). This film almost instantly became a cult and sold for quotes. The picture shows the life of the period of time of the 90s, where the crisis was in everything: from politics to human relations. Then Balabanov could not even imagine that "Brother" would bring such nationwide popularity, and the main character of the picture, Danila Bagrov, would become the most striking image of a Russian man of the nineties. The film "Brother" received the Grand Prix of the "Kinotavr" festival and many prizes at international film festivals.
This picture was the only film made for money. Balabanov needed funds for his next author's project in the art-house style: "About freaks and people." The film tells about the first creators of pornography who lived in pre-revolutionary Russia. In the film, the director brilliantly combined two things: beauty and abomination. Balabanov considered "About Freaks and People" his best film.
In 2000 Alexey Balabanov shoots the second part of the legendary "Brother". Filming takes place in Moscow and America. "Brother 2" also proved to be worthy to bear the title of a cult picture about the "dashing" nineties. After the screening of the film in America, many Americans noted that this is the most honest film about their country.
Then Alexei Balabanov takes on a more serious project called "War", which was released in 2002. The picture shows the events of the Second Chechen War in the North Caucasus. The film turned out to be extremely real and tough. The director was accused of political incorrectness and extreme naturalness. The film was awarded the Golden Rose prize at the Kinotavr festival.
In the fall of 2002, a tragedy occurs in which the director will blame himself all his life. His best friend and colleague Sergei Bodrov Jr. with the crew of Balabanov is sent to shoot his author's film "The Messenger". Alexei invited Sergei to go together, but Bodrov refused. On Balabanov's advice, the shooting took place in the Karmadon Gorge in North Ossetia. Suddenly, an ice collapse began and in a few minutes covered the entire gorge with a 60-meter layer of ice and stones. No one was saved. The entire film crew of Balabanov and Sergei Bodrov were killed.
This tragedy greatly influenced the later life and work of the director. He became depressed, began to abuse alcohol and just did not want to live.
Further works of the director are presented by very controversial pictures. In 2005, Balabanov shoots in a style that no one expected from him. The black comedy "Zhmurki" includes several genres at once: it is both an action movie and a comedy and, to some extent, a thriller. But first of all it is a wonderful satire.
A year later, a melodrama with Renata Litvinova "It Doesn't Hurt" comes out. This is a very kind and bright film about friendship and sincere love unexpectedly for everyone.
I would especially like to note the most shocking and scandalous, controversial and criticized film "Cargo 200". Balabanov said that his picture was based on real stories that happened to him during his military service. He invited famous Russian actors to the casting. After reading the script of the film, Sergei Makovetsky and Yevgeny Mironov refused to shoot. The film contained a large number of scenes of violence, with the help of which the director demonstrates the seamy side of Soviet society in the Russian hinterland. In many Russian cities, the picture was not allowed to be viewed. The main characters were played by the young actress Agniya Kuznetsova, Alexey Poluyan, Leonid Gromov and Alexey Serebryakov.
Last years and death
In 2012, Alexei Balabanov was already seriously ill. Due to alcohol abuse, the director was diagnosed with liver disease. Despite this, he continued to work and made the film "I Want It Too." In it, the director comprehends the problem of a person's departure from life. The plot of the picture tells about the journey of five people who are unlike each other, who are moving towards the mystical "bell tower of happiness". In this film, Alexei Balabanov assigns a cameo role for himself - the role of the director. His character dies at the end of the film, and the film becomes prophetic.
This picture was the last work of Balabanov. On May 18, 2013 at about 16:00, while working on the next script, the talented director and screenwriter Alexei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov had a cardiac arrest.
On the building of gymnasium number 2 in Yekaterinburg, where Balabanov studied, a memorial plaque was erected in his honor. Assessments of his work can be found in many films of contemporary filmmakers. The famous director Yuri Bykov dedicated his film "Fool" to the memory of Alexei Balabanov.
Personal life
Alexey Balabanov was married twice. From his first wife, Irina, the director has a son, Fedor.
The second wife was Nadezhda Vasilyeva, she worked as a costume designer at the Lenfilm film studio. In 1994, their son Peter was born. Nadezhda Vasilieva was next to Alexei Balabanov until the last days of his life.
