# Paradise (2016 film)

Paradise (Russian: Рай; Ray) is a 2016 Russian drama film produced and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. At Venice Konchalovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. In December 2016, it made the shortlist of nine films to be considered for a nomination at the 89th Academy Awards.

## Plot

The film is built around the intertwining destinies of three main characters during the Second World War: aristocratic Russian émigré and member of the French Resistance Olga (Yuliya Vysotskaya), Jules (Philippe Duquesne) an administrator in the French police department and a French collaborator, and a high-ranking SS officer Helmut (Christian Clauß).
Olga is arrested for hiding Jewish children from the Nazi roundups. Her case is overseen by Jules. He is interested in her and accepts her offer of sex in exchange for the release of a Russian prisoner she knows, but Jules is murdered by the French resistance before this occurs. Olga lands in a German concentration camp. There she meets Helmut, who in the past was hopelessly in love with her. Strange and painful relations commence between them.
The Nazis are already close to defeat, and Helmut decides to save Olga from the camp and run away with her to South America. Olga, having lost hope of freedom agrees, but at the last moment realizes that her idea of paradise has changed.

## Cast

* Yuliya Vysotskaya as Olga
* Christian Clauß as Helmut
* Philippe Duquesne as Jules
* Peter Kurth as Krause
* Jakob Diehl as Vogel
* Viktor Sukhorukov as Heinrich Himmler
* Vera Voronkova as Rosa

## Reception
### Critical response

Paradise has an approval rating of 70% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Paradise hits hard and lingers, although viewers who've seen a number of other Holocaust-set dramas may find it all a bit familiar". It also has a score of 52 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

### Accolades

Awards :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| 2016 Golden Eagle Awards | 2016 | Best Film | Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov | Won |
| 2016 Golden Eagle Awards | 2016 | Best director | Andrei Konchalovsky | Won |
| 2016 Golden Eagle Awards | 2016 | Best Actress | Julia Vysotskaya | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 10 September 2016 | Silver Lion for Best Director | Andrei Konchalovsky | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 10 September 2016 | Golden Lion | Andrei Konchalovsky | Nominated |
| Mar del Plata International Film Festival | 27 November 2016 | Golden Ástor | Andrei Konchalovsky | Nominated |
| Mar del Plata International Film Festival | 27 November 2016 | Best Screenplay | Andrei Konchalovsky and Elena Kiseleva | Won |
| 2017 Nika Awards | 28 March 2017 | Best Film | Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov | Won |
| 2017 Nika Awards | 28 March 2017 | Best Director | Andrei Konchalovsky | Won |
| 2017 Nika Awards | 28 March 2017 | Best Actress | Julia Vysotskaya | Won |
| 2017 Filmfest München | 2017 | Special prize | Andrei Konchalovsky | Won |
| 2017 Filmfest München | 2017 | Best Actress | Julia Vysotskaya | Won |
| 2016 Chicago International Film Festival | 2016 | Founder's Award | Andrei Konchalovsky | Won |
| 2016 Chicago International Film Festival | 2016 | Gold Hugo | Andrei Konchalovsky | Nominated |
| 2016 Satellite Awards | 2016 | Best Foreign Language Film | Andrei Konchalovsky | Nominated |