It is provincial life described by a highly unreliable narrator, where the mundane transforms into the magical. (criterion.com)
Thus, in 1839 Richard Wagner makes a hasty escape from political intrigue, personal bankruptcy, and the humdrum of provincial life in Riga, again by sea; and it is this nautical misadventure that was to inspire his Flying Dutchman and, ironically, lay the foundations for his eventual success as a composer. (firstthings.com)
Loznitsa sat down with Film Comment following A Gentle Creature's premiere in Competition at Cannes to discuss the suppressed state of political cinema in Russia, the importance of aesthetics in his films, and the everyday absurdity of provincial life in the former Soviet Union. (filmcomment.com)