Techniques of Beginning in Selected Films of Andrey Zvyagintsev: Elena, Loveless, The Return

Abstract

This thesis examines the techniques of beginning in three films by Andrey Zvyagintsev—The Return (2003), Elena (2011), and Loveless (2017). Typical to art-house films, the beginning in Zvyagintsev‘s films is usually dialogue-concise; it relies mostly on visual storytelling, prioritizing atmosphere over action. Yet, it manages to engage the viewer very effectively. This work intends to define what makes those beginnings so effective and powerful by analyzing film-narration and film-style devices in them. The term beginning is used in this work to indicate the whole first part of the film. The role of the beginning within the overall narration is examined and defined based on the ―viewer‘s activity‖ theory in Neoformalism. The process of hypothesis testing, central to analyzing the narration of the beginning, is the focus of the film analyses in this thesis.