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Loveless is a gripping Russian drama film from 2017, written and directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The film is a bleak portrait of a disintegrating middle-class marriage in Russia, set against the backdrop of contemporary Russian society. The movie is a haunting, disturbing, and visually stunning portrayal of a society where love, human compassion, and kindness are in short supply. Loveless tells the story of a young boy named Alexey who goes missing after his parents argue viciously in their apartment.

The movie opens with a divorce-minded couple, Zhenya and Boris, who are locked in a bitter and acrimonious struggle to divide their assets and cut ties with each other. The couple live together with their 12-year-old son Alexey. Neither parent shows any interest in their child, and argue constantly in front of him. When Alexey disappears, Zhenya and Boris are forced to work together to find him, but their estrangement makes this task all the more difficult.

As they search for their missing son, the couple's marriage unravels, exposing the dysfunction and ugliness at the core of their relationship. Zhenya and Boris represent a generation of Russians who have grown up in a society shaken by the collapse of the Soviet Union, where traditional values, including love and solidarity, have been replaced by cynical consumerism and social alienation.

The film's title refers to the condition of the miserable couple and the society they inhabit. They are loveless not just because they are failing to love each other but because, as Boris remarks, their lives are devoid of real affection, deeper connections, or even a sense of shared humanity. The film asks the question, what would it take to break through the screen of coldness, indifference, and selfishness that seems to envelop so many people in contemporary Russia?

Zvyagintsev's Loveless is a masterful study of the human condition, one that paints a relentlessly grim and bleak picture of life in Russia. The director interweaves a critique of Russian society, its politics, and its values, with a deeply personal story of marital and parental breakdown. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the film carries an atmosphere of unrelieved tension and foreboding until the very end.

Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, and Matvey Novikov are all excellent in their roles, delivering nuanced and understated performances that lend a visceral authenticity to the film. Although the subject matter is often difficult, the narrative is well-paced and suspenseful, with just enough twists and turns to keep the viewer engaged without feeling manipulated.

In terms of its critical reception, Loveless was highly acclaimed, winning the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and being nominated for countless other awards. It was also Russia's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards.

In conclusion, Loveless is a powerful and timely exploration of contemporary Russian society, refracted through the intimate tragedy of a broken family. It's a slow, but a haunting study of the human condition with its outstanding filmmaking, direction, acting, and cinematography. The film is highly recommended to fans of Russian cinema, and anyone interested in exploring the complexities of marriage, family, and society.

Loveless is a 2017 drama with a runtime of 2 hours and 8 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6 and a MetaScore of 86.