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Reversing the perspective: this is the way in which Kirill Serebrennikov wanted to tell the relationship between the famous composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and his wife Antonina Milukova, taking the point of view of the woman and not of the more famous husband.
Presented in competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, “Tchaikovsky’s Wife” finally arrives in Italian cinemas and is one of the most important viewings of the weekend in cinemas, thanks, above all, to this interesting narrative choice.
From their first meetings, the relationship between the two turns out to be extremely complicated: he is reluctant to get married, but she manages to convince him, thus giving life to a decidedly troubled marriage. It was the year 1970 when Ken Russell directed the film “The Other face of love”, in which he told the story of Tchaikovsky’s life and all his psychological and sentimental fragilities: the composer was played by Richard Chamberlain, while his wife by Glenda Jackson. The comparison with that cult film is not very simple for Serebrennikov , but it is precisely the fact of focusing more on the female character that makes this new feature film original and capable of shocking.
Antonina is a tragically rendered figure, so in love and obsessed with her husband that she comes to believe she can overcome his homosexuality by managing to seduce him and make herself loved in turn. The deepest aspect lies in this attempt to deny reality. of a film that delves deeply into the psyche of the protagonist, well played by Alyona Mikhailova.
“Tchaikovsky’s Wife” and the other films of the week
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Elegant staging and some verbosity
One often perceives a certain prolixity in this story which could have lasted a few minutes less, making it even more incisive, just as one notices some passages that are too over the top which are however balanced by an elegant and refined staging. Serebrennikov does not always show all the his talent, but when he does it he truly creates extraordinary sequences, starting from the magnificent scene in the station which contains within itself both a departure and a (non) return: simply memorable.
Thus there are also moments of great cinema in this biographical film, particularly heartfelt by an author who undoubtedly sees the story of Tchaikovsky very close to himself: boycotted by Putin and the Russian government and accused in 2017 of fraud against the Ministry of Culture, Serebrennikov has continued to make films and will soon return with a highly anticipated project, focusing on Ėduard Limonov, who will be played by Ben Whishaw.