Country of the Deaf


Country of the Deaf is a 1998 Russian crime film directed by Valery Todorovsky, loosely based on Renata Litvinova's novel To Own and Belong. The film set in a fictional underworld of deaf-mute people in Moscow. The film was entered into the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot

The action takes place in Moscow in the 1990s. The heroine of the film – Rita is forced into hiding; Her friend Alyosha has disappeared after losing someone else's money in a game of roulette. She is rescued and hidden by Yaya, a deaf nightclub dancer, who lives only for one thing – to save money and go to some fabulous "country of the deaf," where only deaf people live, virtue and justice reigns. Suddenly, the girls find themselves in the center of a violent clash between two mafia clans – one with and one without hearing impairment.

Cast

At the 1998 Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards the film was awarded the prizes for Best Film, Best Music, Best Female Actor, Best Supporting Actor. At the Nika Award the film received the prizes for Best Female Actor and Best Sound Design.