Dark, twisted, fascinating, Derevyannaya komnata inhabits an unresolved space between technology and Nature. Written and directed by Yevgeny Yufit and Vladimir Maslov, it is a mute post-Soviet black-and-white film—a silent except for its amplified sounds, which reminded me of Bresson. The protagonist, a newsreel documentarian, lives a spartan existence with his wife in a forest. […]