‘For all who draw the sword will die by the sword’: the symbolism of Filipp Iankovskii's The Sword Bearer

ABSTRACTThe article explores the symbolism of Filipp Iankovskii's The Sword Bearer (2006) in the context of the film's retributive policies and with the purpose of defining the function of nemesis in the cinematic text in relation to its representational strategies. The study is within the general strand of investigation of the filmic representation of affective states in the context of their national cultural tradition. The article presents a number of readings of the film, including psychoanalytical (Luce Irigaray) and philosophical (Russian mysticism) approaches, especially in relation to mimetic theory. Comparisons between the film and its American and Russian precursors are drawn to highlight universal and specific aspects of the conflict and its visual presentation. Finally, the article puts forward a theory regarding the connection between contemporary Russian film and the philosophical, literary and artistic legacy of the Russian fin de siecle by drawing extensively on filmic, literary and fine ar...