Elite

In this documentary, Russian ‘glamour land‘ seems to be serious and dutiful, rather than glamorous. In Elite, Alexey Uchitel interviews different figures from the new social class that has recently formed in post-Communist Russia. An exquisite company of bankers, musicians, politicians and intellectuals give their views on cultural, political and social life in the still shaky Russian free market economy. In Russia, life of the elite starts to take on familiar Western appearances — a lot of getting out of limousines and striding across red carpets with friendly nods —, but the ‘constructive patriotism‘ and ‘social responsibility‘ that this higher class articulates in Elite (often through their chic wives), is also reminiscent of the days of party politics and bigwigs. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)