Robber

Roman Balaian / USSR / 1969 / International Premiere / 11 min.

synopsis

Allegorical scenes of village life, clearly inspired by the poetic style of Parajanov, show a father and son, temptation, a deed and punishment, in the mythical setting of a garden. Scenes of country life and animal husbandry are infused with rural lyricism. Apples become figurative tools, and abundance is redeemed through crucifixion.

biography

Armenian-Ukrainian film director Roman Balayan (1941) graduated from the Theatre Institute in Kyiv, where he studied under Sergei Parajanov; his style follows the tradition of Ukrainian poetic cinema. During the 1980s, he drew attention to himself through his ability to tackle urgent contemporary issues in movies inspired by Russian literary classics, such as Guard Me, My Talisman (1986), set during a Pushkin festival.