''Turning'' () is a 2002 Russian drama film directed by

Valery Fokin Valery Vladimirovich Fokin (; born 28 February 1946) is a Soviet and Russian theatrical and film director, actor and pedagogue. He is the Artistic Director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and the President of The Meyerhold Centr ...

. The film is an adaptation of

The Metamorphosis ''The Metamorphosis'' (), also translated as ''The Transformation'', is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''The Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inex ...

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

. The film tells about an exemplary family man who had a nightmare, after which he turned into a disgusting insect.

Plot

Set in early 20th-century Prague, the film follows Gregor Samsa, who has been supporting his family and paying off his father's debts for years. One morning, Gregor wakes to find himself transformed into a large, grotesque insect with a hard shell and twitching legs. His transformation horrifies his parents and sister, as he is no longer able to work and financially support them. Revolted by his appearance, his family, focused only on material concerns, grows increasingly disdainful of him. They isolate Gregor in his room, which gradually becomes a storage space for unwanted items. Treated like an animal, Gregor still thinks, feels, and understands as before, retaining his humanity more fully than the family members who reject him. As Gregor’s isolation deepens, the family’s spiritual decay becomes apparent, with their narrow, materialistic values eclipsing any compassion.

Cast

* Yevgeny Mironov as Gregor Samsa *

Igor Kvasha Igor Vladimirovich Kvasha (; 4 February 1933 — 30 August 2012) was a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor. He was a leading actor of Sovremennik Theater. Igor Kvasha was one of the Sovremennik founders along with Galina Volchek, Oleg Yef ...

as father *

Tatyana Lavrova Tatyana Yevgenievna Lavrova (; real name Andrikanis, June 7, 1938 — May 16, 2007) was a Soviet and Russian actress of theater and cinema. People's Artist of the RSFSR. Biography The daughter of cinematographers Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Andri ...

as mother *

Avangard Leontiev Avangard Nikolaevich Leontiev (; born February 27, 1947, in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, teacher, professor. People's Artist of the Russian Federation (1995). Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation (1995) ...

as manager * Natalya Shvets as sister *

Leonid Timtsunik Leonid ( ; ; ) is a Slavic version of the given name Leonidas. The French version is Leonide. People with the name include: * Leonid Agutin (born 1968), Russian pop musician and songwriter *Leonid Andreyev (1871–1919), Russian playwright and ...

as shop owner *

Lyudmila Polyakova Lyudmila Petrovna Polyakova (; born January 28, 1939, Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian actress; she is a People's Artist of Russia (1999). Biography She graduated in 1964 from the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School (course of Viktor Korshu ...

as new maid

Critical response

According to film critic

Lidiya Maslova Lidiya is a feminine given name. People *Lidiya Alekseyeva (1924-2014) Russian basketball player *Lidiya Alfeyeva (born 1946), a Soviet long jumper *Lidiya Belozyorova (1945–2022), Ukrainian actresses *Lidiya Ginzburg (1902–1990), a major S ...

, "the main miscalculation is the choice of Yevgeny Mironov for the main role. Mironov does not condescend to transform himself. He remains not so much a man, but a movie star who crawls on the floor on his stomach and sometimes arrogantly wiggles his fingers and toes".

References

External links

* {{2000s-Russia-film-stub 2002 films 2000s Russian films 2000s Russian-language films Russian drama films 2002 drama films Films based on works by Franz Kafka Mosfilm films Russian-language drama films