In Moscow, the 12-year-old son of a couple who are going through an acrimonious divorce disappears with a trace.

So this is what it's like to live without connection to the consequences of one's actions. Every scene depicts a country and landscape without warmth, emotionally isolated and in a nightmarish state of decay. Clever camera work ensures "Loveless" is relentlessly bleak viewing in scene after scene. The situation of the central couple is an unapologetic allegory for the political actions of the country they live in, with children representing dreams for the future. Familiar, ominous and toxic.

Limited Release 25th April 2018
Palace Films 127 mins

A couple going through a sour divorce are forced to co-operate in the search for their missing son.

"Loveless" is unflinching. Continuous bickering overshadows the disappearance of a young boy, and the unpleasant pursuit of his whereabouts is compounded by a lack of responsibility. The storytelling is honest and brutal, rendered even more chilling by the cold and understated performances of the reluctant parents, whose selfishness is examined through the interactions with their new lovers. Unabashed in its style, the film exposes the devastating consequences of a bitter breakup. Crimeless.

MIFF 2017
127 mins