"Cold Tango" - the opening of the Russian film festival "Kinotavr" in 2017, a military-historical drama directed by Pavel Chukhrai, based on the story of Ephraim Sevela "Sell Your Mother". The film was released on June 22, 2017, on the 76th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, on the Day of Memory and Sorrow. In 2018, the film won the Nika award in the Best Film of the Year nomination.
Plot
The events of the film (English name Cold Tango) take place in the Republic of Lithuania in the forties and fifties of the last century. Almost all the time of the Great Patriotic War, Lithuania was occupied by the troops of Germany and its allies. Blood, horror and fear - this is what the people of the Baltic republic experienced, desperately trying to free themselves from the occupation, but monstrous repression and hunger seriously weaken the spirit of resistance.
At the very beginning of the war, two young people meet. Max, a teenager from the Jewish ghetto, one of the few surviving children, and Laima, a very young Lithuanian girl who was raped by a Wehrmacht officer. Against the background of the hardships of war and common human grief, they have tender feelings for each other, trying to preserve kindness and humanity.
The next meeting awaits them after the war. Max, who survived in spite of fate and trials, became an employee of the NKVD. The hero returns to his native Baltic city to find his beloved, whom he cannot forget no matter what. He, a representative of the people who hate fascism, learns that his Laila is the daughter of an "enemy of the people" who works for the Third Reich during the war.
But this is not the only thing that separates them. Laila became a real "patriot" of her small republic, equally hating both fascism and Soviet power. Cultural and religious differences, political and ideological misconceptions again separate them in different directions. They love each other, but cannot be together and are desperately trying to find a compromise and preserve their feelings in the post-war devastation.
Main roles
Max
Max in childhood was played by Elisey Nikandrov, a young actor and musician born in 2000 in Ulyanovsk. At the age of 12, the boy took part in the show "The Voice", was noticed by producer Yevgeny Orlov and was invited to study in Moscow. Elisey participates in musicals, goes in for ballroom dancing and sports.
The adult hero, an operative of the NKVD, was embodied on the screen by Rinal Mukhametov. The actor was born in 1989 in Tatarstan, entered the Kazan variety and circus school after school, and then moved to Moscow, where he studied at the Moscow Art Theater School. He was married twice, has a daughter, Elia.
Despite his youth, he has already starred in twenty films approved by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The actor loves anime, enjoys science fiction and comics, constantly improves his body, is in love with the plastics of the circus, goes in for sports and self-development. By the way, Rinal performs all the stunts in the films on his own.
Layla
Little Laila was played by a talented girl named Asya Gromova. She was born in Karelia in 2003, receives a versatile creative education - she studies at an art school, enjoys music, Thai boxing and vocals. To date, the young actress has already starred in three films. The painting "Cold Tango" became her debut work.
The image of an adult Laila was embodied by the leading actress of the theater on Malaya Bronnaya, Yulia Peresild. She was born in 1984 in Pskov, graduated from the philological department of a local university and moved to Moscow to enter the theater university. Julia is well known to the theater audience. She made her film debut in 2003, in the TV series "Plot", playing Natasha Kublakova, a small but bright role. To date, the actress has about forty works in the cinema in the creative piggy bank. She continues to work in the theater, is a model for the Rado brand, which produces Swiss watches, her merits were personally noted by the president. Julia is married to director Alexei Uchitel and the couple have two daughters.
Minor roles
Sergey Garmash
The chief of Max, a major of the NKVD, was played by the famous Sergei Garmash, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, born in 1958. In his native Ukraine, he graduated from college with a degree in puppet theater, and then moved to Moscow to enter a theater university. Today Sergei has an extensive list of works in cinema, of which there are already more than a hundred, and he is still one of the leading actors of the Sovremennik Theater.
Karina Kagramanyan
This is the youngest member of the film crew. Karina was born in the capital of Russia in 2010, and began her modeling career from childhood. The talented girl was noticed by filmmakers, and by 2019 she already had nine films behind her shoulders, including such serious ones as "Unforgiven", "Cold Tango" and "Elder Wife". Critics note that their Karina can eventually turn out to be a brilliant dramatic actress, she easily copes with complex and deep images.
Monica Santoro
The role of Ruta, Max's mother, was played by a "Russian Italian" who came to Russia in 2002. She was born in Italy in the second half of the 20th century, at the University of Urbino, worked as a translator and teacher, and then became interested in theater and graduated from the conservatory. She went to Russia for a classical theater education. In 2007, in St. Petersburg, Monika received a diploma from SPbGATI, then entered the Russian stage … and stayed here forever. In addition to acting, Monica is engaged in music, plays the flute and trumpet, and often gives concerts of Italian music. She appeared in the cinema only five times, preferring the theatrical stage.
Andrius Bialobzheskis
Who played Vincas, the father of Laima, the Lithuanian actor Bialobzheskis is the grandson of the famous actress Kazimira Kimantaite. He was born into a creative family in Vilnius in 1967, graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music, performs at the Lithuanian Youth Theater. In recent years, Andrius has been actively filming - he has 27 projects on his account, in cooperation with Lithuanian, British, Georgian, German, Polish and Russian film companies.
Maria Malinovskaya
Laima's mother was embodied on the screen by the Russian actress Maria Malinovskaya, who should not be confused with Masha Malinovskaya. Maria was born in 1974 in the capital's maternity hospital, studied at the Shchukin Theater Institute, and is one of the leading actresses in films on the Rossiya TV channel. Starred in films, TV series and commercials. In 2000, the actress gave birth to a daughter.
In episodes
Antanas was played by Andrius Dariala, a theater artist born in 1977 into a Lithuanian family living in Krasnoyarsk. He graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Academy of Arts and the Moscow Art Theater, worked in the theater of his native city, and then moved to Lithuania for permanent residence.
The role of Anela went to Dace Eversa, a Soviet and Latvian theater actress born in 1954. Dace is a multiple nominee and winner of many Latvian theater awards. This splendid actress, one of the leaders in the Valmiera Drama Theater, is well known to connoisseurs of live performing arts, but she rarely appears in film shots. On account of her only 8 works, including the film "Cold Tango".
Grazhina was played by a Russian actress born in 1986, Anna Kotova, the wife of musician Ivan Deryabin. She actively collaborates with director Boris Khlebnikov, starring in almost all of his projects. Since 2010 Anna has been working at Theater. DOC.
The role of Jonas is played by Dainius Kazlauskas, a Lithuanian actor born in 1971. He mainly works in the theater, is widely known to the Lithuanian public. In 2018, he starred in the directorial debut of Khabensky, playing Leo in Sobibor.
The chef was played by Vladimir Olegovich Chuprikov, a well-known Soviet and Russian film figure - actor, director, teacher. Vladimir was born in Moscow in 1964. Before becoming an actor, he worked as a farmer, janitor, watchmaker, lumberjack, in a word, he was looking for his calling and learned the world. This seriously helped him in his acting career. He studied at the Institute. Shchukin, worked in the theater, and then in the cinema. He married for love and only once. Vladimir has six children and three grandchildren.
