
FormanycriticsandfansofMuratova'swork,PASSIONSisconsideredhermostunusualfilm,theonewhich,atleastonthesurface,seemstohavetheleasttodowithherconsiderablebodyofwork;paradoxically,itwasoneofhermostpopularfilmsinRussia,evenwinningtheNika(Russia'sOscarequivalent)fortheBestFilmof1994.CircusperformerViolettaisintroducedtoSasha,ajockeywhohasbeenhospitalizedafterabadfall.She'sattractedtohim,andevenmoretohiscircleoffriends,becomingfascinatedwiththeirdevotiontohorsesandtheloreofhorseracing.ShedecidestogovisithernewfriendsonastudfarminCentralAsia,ostensiblyforthepurposeoffindingapartnerforanewhorseactshehopestobringtothecircus,butperhapsmorehonestlyjusttolearnmoreaboutthemandtheirworld.Lacedwithaslightlysurrealquality,PASSIONSisaneffectiveandperceptiveportraitofakindofsubculture,aworldthatseemstoco-existalongsideeverydayrealityandtoblendwithitonoccasion.Muratovahasspokenabouthowmuchsheenjoyedthechancetoworkextensivelywithanimals-seeminglyoneofherowngreatpassions-inthefilm.

