I left the theater convinced that House of Fools is Konchalovsky's best work in almost 20 years (which it is) and that it might be something close to a masterpiece.
House of Fools (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:18
Rotten:29
Average Rating:5/10
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some violence and nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Theatrical Release:Apr 25, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: In House Of Fools, a beautiful young Chechen woman, Janna (Julia Vysotsky) is one of several inmates living in a psychiatric hospital. Insulated from the world, the inmates are oblivious to the war... In House Of Fools, a beautiful young Chechen woman, Janna (Julia Vysotsky) is one of several inmates living in a psychiatric hospital. Insulated from the world, the inmates are oblivious to the war that rages around them. Janna spends her time playing her accordion. Her playing soothes the mischievous, and sometimes violent, behavior of her fellow patients. In her private dream world, Janna finds comfort and safety when "fiancé" Bryan Adams sings her love songs. One evening, the train that had nightly delighted the inmates, does not pass. In the morning, when the patients awaken to discover that the medical staff has vanished, the problems of the outside world begin to invade their refuge. As Russian troops near, the patients must fend for themselves. The insane, the fragile and the handicapped must now organize themselves as best they can. As some begin to think of leaving, the sound of nearby bombing sends them running back for cover. A group of Chechen soldiers invade the hospital and settle in with the patients. Janna becomes attracted to a soldier and plans to leave with him. But she is left behind when the Chechens leave. Disappointed and saddened, all she can do is play her accordion and revel in the love of her "fiancé," Bryan. Persona, Hachette Premiere et Cie, Bac Films and Paramount Classics present House Of Fools (Dom Durakov). Written and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the film stars Julia Vysotsky with a special appearance by Bryan Adams. The film is produced by Andrei Konchalovsky and Felix Kleiman. The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by cinematographer Sergei Kozlov, production designer Lubov Skornia, costume designer Svetlana Volter and editor Olga Grinshpun. Original music is composed by Edward Artemiev. -- © Paramount Classics [More]
Starring: Julia Vysotsky, A. Kalyagin, Sultan Islamov, Evgeni Mironov
Starring: Julia Vysotsky, A. Kalyagin, Sultan Islamov, Evgeni Mironov, Stanislav Varkki, Elena Fomina, Vladas Bagdonas, Ruslan Naurbiev, Cecilia Thomson
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Screenwriter: Andrei Konchalovsky
Producer: Rene Cleitman, Jean Labadie
Composer: Edward Atemiev
Studio: Paramount Classics
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Reviews for House of Fools
A kindly film with a generous heart beaming through the discordant rumblings of useless wars.
The film gradually seduces with its mix of dark humor and pathos, poetic, circus-like music, and haunting characters.
Comes awfully close to proving its point: that inmates in a psychiatric hospital are saner than the soldiers in the outside world.
Vysotsky projects an essential sunniness that helps keep the film from turning maudlin.
A superbly shot film of emotional extravagance, sentimentality and even humor.
Janna, played with endearing toughness by Julia Vysotsky, is the heart of this film.
A humane and fantastic work, and it touches us precisely because Konchalovsky shows the reality of both the soldiers and the madhouse inmates.
There's not much to Konchalovsky's tale ... but it's often beautifully told; a gentle fantasy of a harsh time.
As Janna demonstrates, old assumptions and passions certainly die hard. And the worst is when they don't die at all.
...the most striking feature of the film is the fundamental decency and even gentleness of both the soldiers and the mad
A film that succeeds not by arguing that the world is crazier than the asylum, but by arriving at the melancholy possibility that both are equally insane.
It's hard to dislike a movie that identifies Russian mental patients as Bryan Adams' core audience.
Konchalovsky ... takes on a difficult subject with a light mix of dark humor and pathos.
Often trying and not wholly successful but highly ambitious and ultimately rewarding.
While this film offers engaging moments, the overall impact is too blurred and lost along the way.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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