SummaryTruck driver Georgy sets out on a provincial Russian highway for a routine delivery, but a series of chance encounters see his journey spiral out of control. A roadside police check, a war veteran, and a young prostitute lead him to a village from which there appears to be no way out – where the locals struggle to survive a tough, elemental world... Read More
Directed By:Sergey Loznitsa
Written By:Sergey Loznitsa
My Joy
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
88% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sep 27, 2011
100
My Joy is a maddening vision and one of the year's must-see provocations.
Sep 29, 2011
90
The world of My Joy is grim, though the experience of watching it and piecing together its fragmented story strands is anything but. It's suspenseful, mysterious, at times bitterly funny, consistently moving and filled with images of a Russia haunted both by ghosts and the living dead.
Sep 28, 2011
75
Those schooled in Eastern European history may have better luck deciphering it, but what keeps it compelling throughout is Loznitsa's direction, which favors sophisticated long takes and particularly suspenseful use of foreground and background action. His next film should be a doozy.
Sep 25, 2011
75
Sergei Loznitsa's documentaries are mainly compilations of archival footage, so it makes sense that his first fiction film is also essentially a compilation, an array of dynamic, aggressive bits rather than one coherent text.
Sep 25, 2011
70
Although discomfiting to audiences desiring a steady narrative thread (and less accessible to those unfamiliar with Eastern European history and culture), it sustains interest throughout as a devastating critique of Russian society.
Sep 27, 2011
60
The film's sociopolitical critique is as dull as a sledgehammer - and maybe on the money - but the truth is far more entertaining.
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.8
80% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Oct 4, 2011
10
Bleak and hopeless, but a great ride across rural post-Soviet Russia, My Joy uses folk tale conventions to tell it's modern tale of self-reliance and ruthless opportunism.
Apr 15, 2012
6
I don't fully understand the story of this movie. I'm not sure if this is my fault, or the director's, or perhaps that it was intended. But I will say that being an American, it is a very interesting look into a completely different world that feels very real and dynamic. Part of this is just because the movie is about, and shot in Russia. So maybe I enjoy this in the way I would enjoy incredibly candid slides from someone's vacation to Moscow. It would have to be a very bleak vacation, of course. One where they were repeatedly robbed and taken advantage of by members of the police and military. But whatever the cause, I must admit, I enjoyed the movie and found it to be an interesting and authentic-feeling glimpse into a country where life is much more chaotic, unfair, and difficult. A country where roads literally lead nowhere.
Production Company:
- Ma.ja.de. Fiction
- Sota Cinema Group
- Lemming Film
- Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
- ARTE
- Kinofilm
- Ma.Ja.De Filmproduktion
- Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
- Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM)
Release Date:Sep 30, 2011
Duration:2 h 7 m
Awards
Sochi Open Russian Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
Chicago International Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
