Beresina (1999)
August 20, 1999Release Date
Beresina (1999)
August 20, 1999Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Elena Panova
Irina
Geraldine Chaplin
Charlotte De
Martin Benrath
Alt-Divisionär Sturzenegger
Ulrich Noethen
Dr. Alfred Waldvogel
Hans-Peter Korff
Nationalrat Tschanz
Ivan Desny
Rudolf Stauffacher
Stefan Kurt
Claude Bürki
Peter Simonischek
Fritz Ochsenbein
Iván Darvas
Direktor Vetterli
Marina Confalone
Benedetta Hösli
Joachim Tomaschewsky
Alt Bundesrat von Gunten
Teco Celio
Bundesrichter Hungerbühler
Carola Regnier
Fahrerin Invalidentaxi
Daniel Schmid
Director
Martin Suter
Writer
Marcel Hoehn
Producer
Media.
Details.
Release DateAugust 20, 1999
Original NameBeresina oder die letzten Tage der Schweiz
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 45m
Genres
Last updated:
Wiki.
Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland (German: Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz) is a 1999 satiric comedy film by Swiss director Daniel Schmid. It chronicles the story of Irina, a Russian call girl arriving in Switzerland, whose innocent attempt to live the high life there triggers an unintended coup d'état in the country. The title Beresina refers to the Beresinalied, a patriotic song used as the code for initiating the putsch.The film is a black comedy where all aspects of Swiss life are satirized in anecdotes. The heroine deals with a retired P-26 officer who appears as her false "sponsor" and various sexual perverts at the top of Swiss social hierarchy. Their attitudes to immigrants are also depicted ironically. Even the national identity and modern history of Switzerland are caricaturized in the country's first ever coup d'état sequences. The film culminates with Irina's coronation as Queen of Switzerland.
Beresina was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. It also was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 72nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.