Andreï Zviaguintsev's film Minotaure took home the Grand Prix at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the 1969 French movie La Femme infidèle by Claude Chabrol, but it reimagines the story of infidelity in Russia in 2022, during the early days of the country’s military mobilization. It portrays the unraveling of a couple’s relationship against the backdrop of sweeping political and social changes in Russia. Zviaguintsev, a Russian filmmaker who last appeared at Cannes in 2017, now lives in France after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has stated he no longer wants to be associated with the actions of his home country and has also suffered from long COVID, which left him in a coma and physically immobilized for months. The film follows Gleb, a successful business executive living with his wife Galina and their teenage son Serioja in a scenic home by the water. In a traditional family structure, Gleb provides for the family while Galina manages the household. The mayor of their city asks local business leaders to select employees to be sent to the front lines to prevent essential workers from being taken by Moscow. Already dealing with the fallout of Russia’s "special operation" in Ukraine, Gleb must navigate this difficult task. At home, he also faces the breakdown of his marriage, adding emotional complexity to his life. Zviaguintsev highlights the mass exodus of Russian citizens, particularly young men, as a backdrop to the film's tense atmosphere. In a world where both personal and societal structures are breaking down, Gleb tries to manage his problems in his own way. After giving in to his impulses, he uses the context of the mobilization and his position of power to resolve his issues, appearing to move forward as if nothing had changed. Zviaguintsev portrays Gleb as the Minotaur, a mythical creature trapped in a labyrinth of contradictions, much like Putin’s Russia. The film is praised for its formal excellence, with efficient staging, precise camera work, and thoughtful lighting. Zviaguintsev presents the intimate drama with the emotional weight of ancient tragedies, examining how the family becomes the battleground for personal and societal conflicts. He reflects on the current state of Russia, where people are described as apathetic, under the pressure of censorship, and increasingly fearful and disoriented. He laments the suppression of progress and the dominance of propaganda, noting that the truth becomes more difficult to face as time passes. Zviaguintsev also expresses concern over the collapse of democratic systems, the weakening of international institutions, and the disregard for international law. He observes that the world has changed dramatically, with new rules that few seem able to navigate. This bleak outlook is captured in the film’s final scene, where young Serioja takes a photo of his parents from a plane flying over the birthplace of democracy, the horizon shrouded in clouds, with the colors removed. The film will be released in theaters on October 14, 2026, and features leading roles by Dmitri Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva, and Boris Kudrin. It is produced in France, Germany, and Latvia, and distributed by Les Films du Losange.