Shipped to a concentration camp, Russian aristocrat (and member of the French Resistance) Olga is forced into a life of sheer hell. To her surprise, she crosses paths with high-ranking German SS officer Helmut, who once fell madly in love with her and still harbors feelings for her. They rekindle their old love affair and embark on a twisted and destructive relationship. Helmut resolves to rescue Olga and offers her an escape that she no longer thought possible. Yet as time passes, and the fate of Nazi defeat looms, Olga’s notion of Paradise is irrevocably changed. Using confessional monologues and excerpts of “found footage”, Paradise is a stunning examination of the depths that people go through to survive. Winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Best Director (Andrei Konchalovsky), and Russia’s entry for the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Director’s Biography
Andrey Konchalovskiy: Born in Moscow, director Andrey Konchalovskiy studied music in his youth, becoming a skilled pianist, before enrolling in the cinema program at VGIK, the major state film school. He has made over two dozen short films, documentaries, television shows, and feature films since 1961, including, most famously in America, the acclaimed Runaway Train, based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.
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