An adaptation of Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov’s early Soviet-era novel, Twelve Chairs spins a tale of people scouring the Ukraine for 12 rare and valuable chairs. Inspired by Ottinger’s own travels throughout Eastern Europe and Russia, the film mixes costumed actors with nonprofessionals in a modern landscape. An acclaimed photographer, Ottinger does her own cinematography here, with her off-center framing and long tableau shots creating a counterbalance to a film about people always on the move. 2004, 35mm, in German and Russian with English subtitles, 198 minutes.
12 Chairs (Zwölf Stühle)
