House Of Fools Details

House Of Fools

The residents of a Russian mental institution become unwittingly involved in the Chechen War in this darkly romantic film by Andrei Konchalovsky (TANGO AND CASH). Janna (Julia Vysotsky) is a romantically delusional inmate who thinks she's engaged to pop star Bryan Adams. When the war comes, the medical staff flees the hospital, leaving her more or less in charge. Chechen soldiers soon invade the grounds and one of them proposes to her as a joke. She thinks he's sincere though, and finds her affections torn between the soldier and her fantasies of Adams. Through this odd love story, Konchalovsky effectively explores the parallels between the insanity of war and the insanity of the inmates, and he does so without being obvious or didactic. Also effective is the film's grainy, bleached-out look, which, combined with the realistic lunacy on display, recalls the work of Dogme '95 directors like Lars Von Trier. What sets HOUSE OF FOOLS apart from that pack, however, is the kindness and warmth of its characters, particularly Janna, who soothes the nerves of soldiers and patients alike with her compassion and accordion playing. Vysotksky gives a remarkable performance in the role, couching her character's raw vulnerability in a protective bed of delusion. As the object of her fantasies, Adams gamely appears as himself, strolling through the bomb-blasted corridors as he lip-syncs "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman." HOUSE OF FOOLS was filmed largely at an actual Russian mental institution, with many of the inmates appearing as themselves.

Starring	Julia Vysotsky, Sultan Islamov, Bryan Adams
Director	Andrei Konchalovsky
Studio	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 44 mins
Certificate
Genres	Comedy
Language	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 08 Mar 2004 Production year: 2002
Format	DVD