The Dry Valley

The Dry Valley (Суходол) is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ivan Bunin. It tells the story of a village named “Dry Valley,” owned by the petty noble family, the Khrushevs.

We see this beautifully shot film from the eyes of the young and naive serf girl, Natalya. At the beginning of the story, she is smitten with her master and is soon exiled for stealing from him. When she is then brought back to the estate, her fate does not improve, though. She is treated poorly by the capricious Tona, the master’s sister, and is assaulted by a wandering traveler. Her experience is mirrored by that of the estate itself, which goes up in flames.

• 2010s
• English subtitles
• Modern Russia
• Russian Literature