Director, actor, producer, scriptwriter, Sergei Bodrov obtains a loud success in 1996 with The Prisoner of the Mountains, selected in Cannes International Film Festival in the category "Quinzaine des Realisateurs", nominated for the Oscar and Gloden Globe in the category "Best foreign Film". Now he pursues his work of director between Europe and the United States.

The film is inspired by a short story by Leo Tolstoy, "The Captive of the Caucasus", isn't it?
Effectively, I read this short story when I was eight or nine years. Tolstoy had intended this story for the children. When I decided to make this film, I read again the text. I understood that I couldn't hold the same point of view as Tolstoy, who, having served in the Russian army, took clearly side with his camp in the perspective of then. We can't forget that, at the time, Chechnya was a part of the Russian Empire, still powerful.

Is it necessary to underline that the film doesn't exactly treat any Chechen conflict?
First of all, I didn't want to carry a judgment on the conflict. In this war, as in all, camp is wrong and right at the same time. It's always necessary to avoid reducing the analysis to a prejudice, comfortable certainly, but simplifying and erroneous. I didn't want to make a political film in the strict sense of the term. The difficulty rests in the fact that these works in through connections with the current events are of the quickly void interest. That didn't prevent the critics of Russian cinema from accusing me of opportunism and making the link with this conflict. I insist nevertheless on the fact that the story which I tell took place more than 150 years ago. I took care, besides, never to mention the nationality of my characters. I simply wanted to treat about individuals and relations which become established among them, in exceptional positions. A day will come when the war in Chechnya will stop, but the ideas which engendered it will survive.

There's a big difference between your film and the short story by Tolstoy: you chose to introduce there certain humor, certain sourness of tone.
Indeed, I began my career as satiric and funny journalist. I'm a skeptic by nature, maybe a little bit cynical. When it seemed clearly that our country opened in the freedom of expression, I chose to pursue this mode of ironic speech, to continue to write between lines, convinced that one would know how to decode them. The humor is an effective vector of the truth.

Please, speak to me about the central character.
What was interesting for me are the relations between Sasha, professional soldier, and this young man just enrolled... The first one thinks that the kidnappers should die, simply because it's the war. The young man understands that another choice exists: put an end to this violence or die in the gearing. I chose to become attached to this character exactly to preserve a hope, a breath of life.

Where did you shoot the film?
In Dagestan, a small multi-ethnic republic near Chechnya. During the locations, I was charming by the place: we had the impression that the time had stopped in the last century.

What was the reaction of the inhabitants?
It's necessary to know that this village is in the middle of nowhere, in the borders of the mountain, at eight hours of road of any civilization. Not many foreigners come in this place and still less film crews. The curiosity was big; they thought at first that I shot the sequel of a very popular Soviet comedy which was called "Prisoner of the Caucasus". When they understood that it wasn't the case, they were very intrigued by the script and loved bit by bit my characters.

You engaged many inhabitants of the region in your film.
I like very much to work with non-professionals. With a little luck, you find easily the persons who correspond to your expectations. Their play is brilliant because it is real. For example, for the role of Dina, I took a risk. I waited for the beginning of term and I went to the school of the village. Once in the class, my choice went very fast on her. The difficulty with the children during the shootings it's that they are able to do the worst as the best. I had a lot of luck with Dina; we worked relentlessly during six weeks. She learnt a lot, matured, finally to become a great interpreter. I think this wouldn't have been possible with a professional actress.

Your son, not professional, plays in your film.
It was also very risky. At first, I wanted to find a professional actor to feed Oleg Menshikov who is one of our best actors in Russia. I didn't reach there. So I decided to take my son. I've always been aware of his possibilities.

Submitted by Kay