Exclusive Clip From Yury Bykov’s ‘The Factory,’ Premiering in Toronto
Variety has been given access to an exclusive clip from Yury Bykov’s “The Factory,” which world premieres Saturday at the Toronto Film Festival. Wild Bunch is selling the film.
Bykov has become one of Russia’s best known directors in recent years with his critically acclaimed films “The Fool” and “The Major.” The multi-hyphenate director (he writes, directs, produces, edits, acts and even scores), delivers his latest social drama, a study of corruption, moral compromise and the behavior of people in impossible situations in “The Factory.”
When local oligarch Kalugine announces the bankruptcy of his factory, a group of workers who haven’t been paid for months kidnaps him for ransom, locking him up in the factory. Kalugine’s private bodyguards – and the police SWAT team – arrive at once. The angry workers are trapped. How will they survive the night of confrontation with men who will kill without hesitation to protect Kalugine and his crimes?
“The film bases its narration on a powerful and paced story that captures the audience, using the codes of genre films – here, that of hostage taking,” according to a statement. “But while the night lasts several hours before the dawn comes to this factory, it’s a portrait of contemporary Russia that Bykov draws. The quest of this group of kidnappers resonates like a metaphor, highlighting the networks of complicity, power and corruption that hold the country together.”
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