Exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev confronts Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine through his drama “Minotaur,” which explores themes of conscription and ethical compromise. Released nearly five years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the film has garnered significant attention.
Winning the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “Minotaur” is also Russia’s submission for the 2027 Academy Award for Best International Film. Its release coincides with ongoing debates about Russia’s capacity to maintain troop levels in a conflict that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties.
One poignant scene depicts Russian conscripts boarding a bus to the front lines, with a father bidding farewell to his teenage son while another mother screams in despair. Later, a roadside billboard honors an older recruit as a fallen war hero, underscoring the human cost of the conflict.
The narrative centers on Gleb, a logistics company owner grappling with his wife’s infidelity while facing pressure from the local mayor to provide 14 employees for military service. Determined not to send his current staff to war, Gleb hires new drivers with promises of high wages, only to dispatch them directly to the battlefield.
Reflecting on his motivations, Zvyagintsev, 62, who now resides in France after leaving Russia in 2021, remarked on the inevitability of addressing the war as a Russian-born director. He is internationally recognized for his Oscar-nominated films “Leviathan” and “Loveless.”
Produced in France and performed in Russian, “Minotaur” will not be officially released in Russia due to its subject matter. Zvyagintsev remains doubtful that the film will change public opinion in Russia, where support for the military campaign stayed above 70% in 2026 polls, despite 67% of respondents favoring peace talks.
He contrasted propaganda, which he described as a blunt and forceful tool, with art’s subtle influence, emphasizing that soft power operates over a longer period. Since the politically damaging 2022 mobilization, Moscow has avoided further compulsory drafts, relying on recruitment incentives, though analysts warn that renewed conscription remains possible.
Zvyagintsev incorporated videos of Russia’s mobilization efforts found online into the screenplay. Unable to film in Russia, where he has not returned since a severe COVID-19 illness in 2021, he used a Latvian town as a stand-in for the Russian setting.
Critics have noted that “Minotaur,” which opens in French cinemas on October 14, represents one of Zvyagintsev’s most explicit critiques of Russia’s political and moral landscape. He described the film as an attempt to portray the human experience amid unbearable compromise.
In August, Russian authorities labeled Zvyagintsev a “foreign agent,” a designation targeting public figures accused of anti-Russian activities supported from abroad. He has not commented on how this status might affect him personally or professionally.
Originally, Zvyagintsev intended to remake Claude Chabrol’s 1969 thriller “La Femme Infidele” (“The Unfaithful Wife”), which tells the story of a husband suspecting his wife’s infidelity. However, after securing the rights and beginning work in 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine transformed the project.
The setting shifted from suburban Paris to a bleak Russian town, with the original domestic tensions reframed against the harsh realities of war. Zvyagintsev reflected that had the film been made in 2018, it would have been entirely different, highlighting how the conflict reshaped his artistic vision.
