The Asthenic Syndrome

The Asthenic Syndrome
Directed by	Kira Muratova
Written by	Aleksandr Chernykh Sergei Popov Kira Muratova
Produced by	Micha Lampert
Starring	Olga Antonova
Cinematography	Vladimir Pankov
Edited by	Valentina Olejnik
Production company	Odessa Film Studio
Release date	February 1990 (1990-02)
Running time	153 minutes
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian

The Asthenic Syndrome (Russian: Астенический синдром, romanized: Astenicheskiy sindrom) is a 1990 Soviet drama film directed by Kira Muratova. It was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize.

Plot

The film consists of two unrelated stories: one is shot in black-and-white and the other in colour.

In the first story a woman who recently buried her husband is in a constant state of depression (and sometimes even direct aggression) ends up facing people like her, who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

The hero of the second story is a school teacher. As a result of personal predicaments and problems at work he has gotten the Asthenic Syndrome – he falls asleep at the most inappropriate times. He is admitted to the hospital for the mentally ill where he gains the understanding that the people around him there are not any crazier than those who live in freedom. After some time he is released and he ends up falling asleep on the subway. The empty wagon takes away the sleeping man into a dark tunnel.

Cast

• Olga Antonova as Natasha
• Sergei Popov as Nikolai
• Galina Zakhurdayeva as Masha (Blonde)
• Natalya Buzko as Masha (Brunette)
• Aleksandra Svenskaya as Teacher
• Pavel Polishchuk as Iunikov
• Natalya Ralleva as Mother
• Galina Kasperovich as Nikolai's Wife
• Viktor Aristov as School Principal
• Nikolai Semyonov as Head Doctor
• Oleg Shkolnik
• Vera Storozheva
• Aleksandr Chernykh
• Leonid Kushnir
• Galina Stakhanova as doctor of the Moscow metro

External links

• The Asthenic Syndrome at IMDb