Minotaur (2026)

Lattanzio finds the film engrossing and icily exacting, despite its familiar story. He especially praises Iris Lebedeva’s performance and the bleak, politically charged final images.

The critic finds the film brilliant and blackhearted, turning domestic drama into a potent allegory of Russian authoritarianism. They praise its elegant compositions and lingering final shot, which makes distant clouds evoke explosions.

Felperin finds the film gripping, rigorously made and Zvyagintsev’s most incisive critique of Russia’s political and moral malaise. She praises its intricate irony and economical storytelling, especially a gruesome, comic, and pivotal sequence.

Lodge finds Zvyagintsev in impeccable form, delivering a despairing and darkly funny critique of corruption and betrayal. He especially praises the film’s meticulous framing and its sharp reworking of a domestic thriller into a portrait of Putin-era patriarchy.

Hanson finds the film a blistering, darkly comic indictment of Russia’s wartime and oligarchic culture. He particularly praises the mesmerizing desolation of its cinematography and compositions.

Rothkopf says Zvyagintsev’s return is worth the wait and praises the film’s distilled expression of the director’s strengths. He especially singles out its brutal daylight climax and its portrait of Putin’s dissociative society.

Bradshaw calls the film tremendous drama and praises Zvyagintsev’s superb direction. He singles out the outstanding performances and cold, crime-scene-like compositions.

The review calls the film an icily gripping thriller and a sharp-edged attack on Putin’s Russia. It singles out the Chabrol remake as the source of its gripping edge.

The headline presents the film as an immaculate domestic thriller, suggesting a positive verdict. The standfirst singles out its intertwining of personal and national crisis.

The critic finds the film intriguing but at times lethargic, with a perverse optimism in its depiction of Russian oligarchs’ weakening power. He singles out the prolonged corpse-disposal sequence for its mounting suspense and anxiety.

The critic calls the film a pointed, gripping portrait of political cruelty and private collapse. They praise its controlled, understated approach to showing how ordinary people become complicit in violence.

Bunbury calls the film a great piece of work, though its ambiguity and disciplined pacing may frustrate some viewers. She especially praises Zvyagintsev’s directorial restraint, including his controlled use of silence and camera perspective.

The critic finds the film a riveting, quietly damning political thriller, though its bleakness and complicated perspective make it challenging to access. They praise the patient cinematography and production design for turning the family home into a source of mounting dread.

Custo finds the film politically intriguing but ultimately too conventional to match its ambitions. He singles out its compelling Minotaur metaphor, which he says is stronger than the drama built around it.