The Banishment

The Banishment

Year: 2007

Runtime: 158 mins

Language: Russian

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

DramaHumanity and the world around usHeartbreaking and moving family dramaEnduring stories of family and marital dramaEmotional and touching family dramas

While vacationing at his childhood home in the countryside, a husband is blindsided when his wife announces she is pregnant—but the baby is not his. The revelation forces the couple to confront betrayal, with the story probing whether they will seek revenge or find a path to forgiveness.

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Timeline & Setting – The Banishment (2007)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Banishment (2007). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Alex's house, the countryside (Alex's childhood home), train station, Robert's house, funeral parlour, city

The story moves between a quiet countryside residence and urban spaces, anchored by Alex's house where a wound and a secret initiate the unraveling. The countryside around Alex's childhood home is serene yet claustrophobic, its old friends and neighbors acting as observers to the couple's strain. The train station and Robert's house become pivotal spaces for revelations and confrontations, while the funeral parlour marks the social consequences of private choices. The city reappears at the end, highlighting the tension between private crisis and public life.

🏡 Rural setting 🚂 Train station 🏘️ Village gossip 🏙️ City

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:28

Main Characters – The Banishment (2007)

Meet the key characters of The Banishment (2007), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Vera (Maria Bonnevie)

Vera is emotionally distant and torn between love, pregnancy, and the fear of an unsustainable marriage. Her reliance on appearances masks vulnerability as she grapples with the unborn child and suspicions about paternity. She seeks connection, but the lack of open communication drives drastic choices, including considering abortion. Her arc reveals a complex, tragic resilience within a constrained relationship.

💔 Troubled marriage 🧭 Hidden pregnancy 🕊️ Hidden pain

Alex (Konstantin Lavronenko)

Alex is morally cautious and image-conscious, trying to preserve a fragile family facade while navigating a web of past crimes and present tensions. His reaction to Vera's pregnancy shows a readiness to exert control, even at the cost of trust. He leans on criminal connections to manage personal crises, revealing a complicated blend of loyalty and calculation. His actions propel the tragedy that unfolds.

💼 Calculated 💔 Strained marriage 🥀 Control freak

Mark (Aleksandr Baluev)

Mark is the pragmatic, loyal brother whose criminal world intrudes into family life. He balances duty to his brother with dangerous associations, and his health falters under the emotional toll of the crisis. He embodies a fatalistic sense of inevitability that surrounds the family scandal. His involvement highlights the inescapability of the life he leads.

🕵️‍♂️ Criminal ties 🤝 Family loyalty 💔 Tragic fate

Kir (Maksim Shibayev)

Kir is young and impulsive, carrying the weight of his family’s legacy and the lure of following in the footsteps of his brother. He catalyzes the plot by revealing past events that connect the adults and hint at future choices. His presence marks a bridge between youth and the countryside’s criminal underworld. He fears becoming another link in a doomed cycle.

🧭 Young influence 🕵️‍♂️ Family legacy 🗣️ Gossip catalyst

Robert (Dmitri Ulyanov)

Robert is a friend who becomes central to Vera's pregnancy truth and a confidant to Vera. He embodies the tension between loyalty and risk of exposing painful secrets. His involvement triggers revelations that redefine relationships and foreshadow the tragedy to come. He acts as a catalyst that exposes the fragility of trust in the circle.

🕊️ Confidant 🎭 Catalyst of revelation 🩸 Emotional trigger

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:28

Major Themes – The Banishment (2007)

Explore the central themes of The Banishment (2007), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Marriage Strain

The relationship between Alex and Vera is defined by distance and the pressure to maintain appearances. Vera's pregnancy creates a moral and emotional crisis that neither partner fully addresses. Alex's attempts to control the situation reveal his fear of scandal and loss of control. The abortion and Vera's subsequent suicide show how private conflict can escalate into irreversible tragedy.

🔒 Secrets and Guilt

Secrets drive the narrative: Vera's pregnancy, the real paternity, and what is withheld shape every decision. Robert's involvement and the revelations about Vera's past deepen the sense of guilt. Letters, tests, and memory flashes reveal how truth becomes a tool that can destroy trust. The emotional burden of secrets culminates in tragedy.

🕊️ Consequences of Crime

Mark's criminal ties intrude into family life, showing how crime can permeate domestic space. Alex's reliance on Mark's network reveals how criminal affiliations masquerade as protection. The ensuing chain—abortion, suicide, and death—demonstrates that crime's reach extends beyond the immediate actors. The film suggests that involvement in crime corrodes safety and stability within a family.

🌾 Countryside Backdrop

The rural setting provides a quiet stage for intimate betrayals. Open fields, familiar faces, and small-town gossip amplify the pressure on Vera and Alex. The serenity of the countryside is pierced by internal turmoil, turning private pain into public spectacle. The contrast with urban life underscores how environment shapes the characters' decisions.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:28

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The Banishment Summary

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The Banishment Timeline

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