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Strong performances from its two leads mark out this Russian medical drama competing at Karlovy Vary
Dir. Boris Khlebnikov. Russia/Finland/Germany. 2017. 116 mins.
Equal parts marital drama and medical procedural, Arrhythmia works as kind of extended thought experiment: what if you took television’s Dr. House, shaved twenty years off his age and plopped him into a mid-size Russian city? Director Boris Khlebnikov answers that question to mostly satisfying effect with his sixth feature, the story of a talented paramedic whose headstrong arrogance ends up poisoning both his personal and professional life.
The scenes between the unhappy couple crackle with volatility, capturing that fiery interval when one status quo has been shattered and the next one has yet to be forged
Prior to competing in Karlovy Vary, Arrhythmia premiered at the Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival last month, where it won the Grand Prize and Audience Award, and the cast and crew might consider clearing additional travel time. Thanks to strong performances...