‘Minotaur’: Andrey Zvyagintsev Returns With a Cold, Devastating Political Noir [Cannes]

So, what competition films screened today at Cannes? I was seated for Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas” before a medical emergency occurred, and the theater had to be evacuated. I’ll need to catch it tomorrow instead.

Then there’s Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev who has delivered another great film, “Minotaur.” It may not be his finest work — a very high bar has been set — but the icy precision and hypnotic force of his filmmaking remain undeniable.

This marks a comeback for Zvyagintsev after a decade away from directing due to severe illness and political exile. What he gives us here is a pitch-black noir set in provincial Russia during the early years of the war in Ukraine. The film centers on Gleb, a wealthy local businessman whose personal life and moral compass unravel when he suspects his unhappy wife Galina is cheating on him.

What’s particularly interesting is that Zvyagintsev has admitted “Minotaur” is a remake of Claude Chabrol’s “The Unfaithful Wife,” which itself was later remade by Adrian Lyne as 2002’s “Unfaithful,” featuring an Oscar-nominated performance from Diane Lane. Somehow, and no doubt due to Mungiu’s command behind the camera, a story as familiar as this still feels utterly gripping in “Minotaur.”

Zvyagintsev is, of course, a very different director from Chabrol and Lyne — he tends to strip events down to silence and spiritual exhaustion, and “Minotaur” is no exception. This is another cold, oppressive, and relentlessly tense film from him, using stark daylight imagery and sterile modern interiors to make every frame feel claustrophobic.

Aside from the major twists in Chabrol’s story, which are largely adhered to here, Zvyagintsev’s version bears his unmistakable auteurial stamp. He even manages to somehow tie the illicit affair to Russian state violence. The first two hours of “Minotaur” offer only hints of this political allegory, but the film becomes far less subtle in its final 20 minutes, hammering home its point via a montage-like sequence of events firmly planting the flag against Russia’s war.

Zvyagintsev, who is currently living in exile in Paris after publicly opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has said he can no longer work freely in Russia. He developed “Minotaur” over several years with fellow exiled collaborators. Because of this, the film — though set in Russia — was shot entirely in Latvia with mostly Russian actors.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Zvyagintsev has already won the Venice Film Festival’s top prize in 2003 for “The Return,” won Best Screenplay at Cannes for “Leviathan,” and took the Jury Prize in 2017 for “Loveless.” He may very well win something again for “Minotaur.”