Two soldiers, one bullet, zero dialogue — silence has never screamed this loud.
Acting
Two faces tell an entire war's worth of story.
Direction
Shakhnazarov weaponizes silence like most directors use explosions.
Director
Ivan Shakhnazarov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shakhnazarov's grandfather fought in WWII, and the film was shot on location in forests where actual battles occurred. The director insisted on absolute silence on set to mirror the characters' isolation.
The 15-minute runtime was mandated by festival rules; Shakhnazarov originally envisioned 45 minutes of pure silence.
RU
