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KARENINA & I

By Tommaso MOTTOLA

TOUR DE FORCE AS - as DISTR Theatrical, NORWAY

Art - Culture - Completed 2015

Norwegian actress GØRILD MAUSETH is challenged by the almost impossible task of playing ANNA KARENINA in a language she never spoke and in the author’s home country. She embarks on a journey to learn Russian and discover the real reasons why Tolstoy (LIAM NEESON) wrote the novel. What Gørild does no

- Year of production
- 2015
- Genres
- Art - Culture, Documentary
- Countries
- RUSSIA, NORWAY, ITALY
- Languages
- ENGLISH, NORWEGIAN, RUSSIAN, ITALIAN
- Duration
- 86 mn
- Director(s)
- Tommaso MOTTOLA
- Writer(s)
- Tommaso MOTTOLA, Gørild MAUSETH, Leo TOLSTOY, Gleb TELESHEV
- Cast
- Gørild MAUSETH, Liam NEESON
- Producer(s)
- Gørild MAUSETH (Orto Polare As), Tommaso MOTTOLA (Orto Polare As)
- Synopsis
- Norwegian actress GØRILD MAUSETH is challenged by the almost impossible task of playing ANNA KARENINA in a language she never spoke and in the author’s home country. She embarks on a journey to learn Russian and discover the real reasons why Tolstoy (LIAM NEESON) wrote the novel. What Gørild does not know is that Anna Karenina will become the role of her life and change her forever.
  
  Gørild’s quest takes her 11 000 kilometers on the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Gorky Drama Theatre in Vladivostok. Along the way she visits theatres, film studios, opera houses, meets fellow artists, Tolstoy relatives and ordinary Russians. As she is learning more and more about the character she will play, the boundaries between Anna and the actress gradually disappear. She hears the voice of Tolstoy who helps the actress perceive what she can not express herself.
  
  The journey, the hard months of rehearsals and the daily life in a foreign country will drive her very close to failure…
  
  At the moment when Gørild is about to be completely ensnared in her character, she finds the courage to confront the painful memories hidden in her own past. Life took a sudden turn for her after a paralyzing accident at a young age. Only thanks to her strong sense of belonging, did she manage to overcome adversity and become the person and actress she is today. This discovery drives Gørild to the heart of Tolstoy’s message: All I know, I know because I love.
  
  The film provides a unique insight into how an actor explores the boundaries between fiction and reality. Literature, theatre and real life come together, portraying Anna Karenina like no Hollywood or Moscow blockbuster have ever done. It is about understanding love, enduring loneliness, pursuing hopes and dreams and living life to the fullest.