Anna Karenina

Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Keira Knightly, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly MacDonald, Matthew MacFadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Alicia Vikander, Olivia Wilson, Emily Watson
Genre: Drama 2012
Running time: 130 mins.
Rating:★★★

At the twilight of an empire, Anna Karenina ( Keira Knightly), the beautiful high-ranking wife of one of imperial Russia's most esteemed men ( Jude Law), has it all. But when she meets the dashing cavalry officer Vronsky ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson), there is a natural spark of instant attraction that cannot  be ignored. She's immediately swept up in a passionate affair that will shock a nation and change the lives of everyone around her.

You, the audience have been welcome to view a new play on the stage. A play filled with surprises and elegantly choreographed. This is how the film lures you in to the story that is about to unfold. You are a witness of what is going on stage and what is going behind stage. The model train set that then transforms to an actual moving train, blurs the line of what is fantasy and what is reality.  A feeling of entrapment with longing for freedom resides in all of the characters, but especially with Anna Karenina (Knightly). It is with Vronsky (Taylor-Johnson) that Anna may have found her key to open the door to her dreams. A dangerous one, it may be, but one she cannot help herself from indulging in. However, will she like what she see before it destroys her?

The surreal dream-like imagery with its constant switch from duality from blue-icy bright to red-golden and dark undertones, hints that the fantasy will eventually collide into reality sooner than later. What starts as a seeming comedy turns into a tragedy. The film's constant duality is part of its charm!