Nikita Mikhalkov excels at exposing his highly personal yet very accessible view of Russian history, particularly the Soviet experience. He achieves this by revealing slices of his own life and of his family's. ANNA is the best example of his unique style, though BURNT BY THE SUN (completed a year or so after ANNA) may always remain his best-known and most acclaimed film. ANNA, in contrast to his best known work, is a real documentary. It's therefore more personal: it still stars him and one of his daughters, the screenplay and direction are his, and yes, he presents Russian history once again in retrospect. ANNA is sublime film-making at many levels, but what stands out in my mind is Mikhalkov's perfection in recounting recent earth-shaking history through a decade of Anna's young life.
Review of Anna ot 6 do 18
