Entertainment

Russia's Zvyagintsev says war theme in his Cannes entry 'Minotaur' was matter of fate

By Miranda Murray and Francesca Halliwell Reuters

tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA240321052026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-PREVIEW:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-STREAM:22.050:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-STREAM:48000:M4A aac



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-STREAM:48000:MP3 mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-STREAM:48000:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOA242021052026RP1-STREAM:48000M:WAV wav



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP240321052026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP240321052026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP240321052026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP240321052026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP242021052026RP1-BASEIMAGE:960X540 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP242021052026RP1-THUMBNAIL:160X90 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP242021052026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOP242021052026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:512X288 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV240321052026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:2000:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:5128:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:700:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:8256:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:8256M:16X9:MP4 H264/mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:SRT srt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:CLOSEDCAPTION:VTT vtt



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LOV242021052026RP1-STREAM:SHOTLIST:JSON json



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD240321052026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I50:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:13756:16X9:HD1080I60:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:1756:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:2128:16X9:MP4 mp4



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD525I30:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-STREAM:6756:16X9:SD625I25:MPG mpeg



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-THUMBNAILGRID jpegBaseline



tag:reuters.com,2026:binary_LWD242021052026RP1-VIEWIMAGE:768X432 jpegBaseline



CANNES, France - Fate dictated that Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev's first feature since leaving his homeland, "Minotaur" - competing at the Cannes Film Festival - was set during the Ukraine war, he told journalists on Wednesday.

The director said the idea to adapt French director Claude Chabrol's 1969 marital drama "La Femme Infidele" came to him soon after his previous Cannes entry, "Loveless", was released nearly a decade ago.

Zvyagintsev said he found what he described as a gap in the original's lack of focus on the protagonist's work life.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and subsequent mobilisation while the director was working on the script proved an apt setting to better flesh out the protagonist.

Chabrol "focused on the crime and on the relationship between husband and wife, whereas life itself - fate - brought in this adjustment, and very appropriately," he said.

PRESSURES AT HOME AND OUTSIDE

"Minotaur" follows Gleb, a well-off entrepreneur living in a rural Russian town whose domestic life begins to unravel after he finds out his wife is having an affair.

At the same time, he has been given the difficult decision of picking 14 men from his company to send off for mobilisation.

In both cases, his monstrous side comes out - hence the reference to the mythological Greek figure that lends its name to the film.

"Minotaur" is one of 22 films competing for Cannes' top prize, which will be announced at the closing ceremony on May 23.

Critics praised the film for its portrayal of a society that has become rotten. The Hollywood Reporter described it as his most openly critical commentary on Russia's political, spiritual and moral malaise, "a denunciation never said in so many words but expressed with intricate layers of irony."

TRANSITIONAL PHASE

Zvyagintsev, who has been living in exile in France since a life-threatening case of COVID-19 during the pandemic, became an international sensation in 2003 when his debut film "The Return" won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

His follow-up, "The Banishment," competed for Cannes' top prize, the Palme d'Or, in 2007, as did the controversial Oscar-nominated bleak portrayal of life in rural Russia, "Leviathan."

The 62-year-old director said making "Minotaur" had marked a transition for him after a nine-year hiatus.

"This was a sort of gateway," he said.

"Apart from the fact that we had a duty to bear witness to the times and share our thoughts on current events, I believe there will be more to come."

(Reporting by Francesca Halliwell and Miranda Murray; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev and cast members Iris Lebedeva and Dmitriy Mazurov pose during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev and cast members Iris Lebedeva and Dmitriy Mazurov pose during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Gonzalo Fuentes Reuters
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev, cast members Boris Kudrin, Iris Lebedeva, Dmitriy Mazurov, Varvara Shmykova, Yuriy Zavalnyouk, producers Charles Gillibert, Nathanael Karmitz and guests pose during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev, cast members Boris Kudrin, Iris Lebedeva, Dmitriy Mazurov, Varvara Shmykova, Yuriy Zavalnyouk, producers Charles Gillibert, Nathanael Karmitz and guests pose during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters
Cast member Iris Lebedeva poses during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Cast member Iris Lebedeva poses during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters
Cast member Boris Kudrin poses during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Cast member Boris Kudrin poses during a photocall for the film "Minotaur" (Minotaure) in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Gonzalo Fuentes Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 2:47 AM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER