The Banishment

The Banishment (Russian: Изгнание, Izgnanie) is a 2007 Russian film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The film is a loose adaptation of The Laughing Matter, a 1953 novel by Armenian-American writer William Saroyan. It stars Konstantin Lavronenko and Maria Bonnevie.

The film premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. Lavronenko won the Best Actor award at the festival. It was released in Russian cinemas on 2 October 2007. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

Alex (Konstantin Lavronenko) brings his wife Vera (Maria Bonnevie) and two children for a trip to his childhood home in the countryside. The tranquillity of the countryside is broken when Vera tells Alex that she is pregnant. He believes that this baby is not his. The rift between the couple grows but the two try to keep up appearances in the presence of their children and the old friends that visit them.

Alex is unsure about what to do and turns to his brother Mark (Aleksandr Baluyev) for advice. On the way to meet Mark at the train station, Alex's son Kir (Maksim Shibayev) reveals that Alex's friend Robert (Dmitri Ulyanov) was at their house one day while Alex was away for work. Alex concludes that Robert is the baby's father.