NATASHA (David Bezmozgis ). 96 minutes. Opens Friday (May 6). See listing. Rating: NNN
David Bezmozgis’s film adaptation of the title tale of his 2005 collection maintains the key kernel of the short story: how can you know who’s telling the truth?
It’s summer and 16-year-old Mark (Alex Ozerov), the son of Russian immigrants to Toronto, is bored and horny. When his uncle buys himself a Russian bride, Mark is dubious about the marriage but fascinated by his new aunt’s 14-year-old daughter, Natasha (Sasha K. Gordon).
The girl is young but worldly, able to deploy her sexuality in a combination of desperate and cunning ways. But her mother Zina may also be a sketchy character. As their conflict deepens, you never know who’s right and who’s wrong. Is Natasha for real or is Zina right that she can’t be trusted.
This is in many ways a conventional coming-of-age story, but charismatic Gordon’s mesmerizing performance as the mysterious Natasha makes it special.
See our interview with director David Bezmozgis here.
