BEAR'S KISS
Russia, 2002, 92 minutes, Colour.
Rebecka Liljeberg, Joachim Krol, Serge Bodrov Jnr, Keith Allen, Maurizio Donadoni, Anne Marie Pisani, Marcella Musso, Ariadne Gill, Silvio Orlando.
Directed by Serge Bodrov.
Bear's Kiss is a strange film. It is a complex film contributed to by many European countries in terms of finance and performers. It does not quite jell. The setting is a circus, emotional interactions, the details of life in the circus, especially with the animals.
The film was directed by Sergei Bodrov and features his son, Sergei Bodrov Jnr. Tragically, the son was killed soon afterwards directing a film on location and being the victim of an accident.
1. A European production, the various countries contributing? The general use of English? A mixture which makes the film acceptable in Europe - or alienates European audiences?
2. The Russian locations, the opening with the bear, the circus in St Petersburg, in Sweden, in Hamburg in Germany, in Spain? The variety of the locations?
3. The musical score, the circus music, the songs?
4. The atmosphere of the circus, the various acts, the trapeze, the acrobats, the clown? The overtones of Fellini films with the strange characters, their appearances, 'freaks'?
5. The prologue and the bear, the hunters, the bear being shot, the saving of the small bear? The circus people going to buy animals, Lola seeing the bear and wanting it, the doing of the bargain to get the bear?
6. Lola and her caring for the bear, despite all the criticisms and the difficulties? The fondness between them, the passing of time? Mischa suddenly appearing as human? Her bewilderment? Her going to the church, the robber, the bear escaping and saving her? The police and the condemnation of the bear, the fine? The moving to Spain? Mischa and his continued appearances, the sexual relationship, the love? His returning to the cage? The bear performing? In Spain, Mischa and Lola going to the fortune teller, the explanation of the shape shifting? Lou and his wanting to wrestle with the bear? Lou and his attack on Lola, Mischa and his killing Lou? The impounding of the bear, Lola trying to bribe the policeman, Groppo and his helping her to take Mischa away? Going to the fortune teller, finding that after killing, Mischa could not become human again? Her driving him away, stealing the petrol from the station, the Russian border, her letting Mischa go free, her becoming a bear herself?
7. Lola and her age, experience, work in the circus, the trapeze and acrobatics? Her later working as a clown with Groppo and Mischa? Her relationship to her mother, her stepfather not being her father? Her mother and her wanting to leave, telling her the truth about being found on the doorstep? Her later learning from Groppo that he had stolen her from wicked people and brought her up? His being a surrogate father while always loving Carmen?
8. The stepfather, his drink, his fear of riding the motorbike? Carmen and her departure? His grief, his work, the others insulting him? The fight with Lou, getting on the bike, showing that he was a champion in the circus, his death? Groppo as the sad clown, his entertaining the children - and the motif of the hanging? His love for Carmen, unrequited? His continued protection of Mischa and Lola? Margarita and her size, exuberance? The dwarf? Lou and his management, in Hamburg and his putting on the wig, the insulting song but the audience liking it? Going to Spain, getting drunk, the challenge to Margarita, his attack on Lola, his death?
9. The audiences for the circus, their support? The street crowds in Germany? The Spaniards? The gypsies, the police?
10. The magical realism of the film: the animated captions for each country, the Siberian people and the myths about animals and Mischa's memory of the rituals, the magic of the bear becoming human, not being able to become human after killing someone, love transforming the other into the bear?
11. A popular entertainment - but a film which was critically mauled?
