11. My Name is Ivan ( Ivanovo detstvo )
Year of Release: 1962
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama/War
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Actors: Nikolai Burlyayev, Valentin Zubkov
Plot: A 12-year-old boy, desperate to avenge his parents' death at the hands of he Nazis, becomes a spy for the Soviets on the eastern front. Although some object to a boy so young becoming a tool for war, Ivan not only makes a perfect spy, but his convictions drive him to succeed.
12. Ivan's Childhood ( Ivanovo detstvo )
Year of Release: 1963
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama/War
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Actors: Nikolai Burlyayev, Valentin Zubkov, Yevgeni Zharikov, Stepan Krylov
Plot: During WWII, a young boy works as a spy on the Eastern Front - small enough to cross German lines unnoticed. Three soviet officers do their best to look after the boy/spy.
13. Mother and Son ( Mat i syn )
Year of Release: 1998
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Actors: Aleksei Ananishnov, Gudrun Geyer
Plot: Simple yet poignant - as a son dutifully cares for his dying mother, the film takes on a deeper, spiritual meaning as we visit the cottage and surrounding countryside.
14. Leviathan ( Leviafan )
Year of Release: 2014
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Actors: Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov
15. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ( Tini zabutykh predkiv )
Year of Release: 1967
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama/Historical
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Sergei Parajanov
Actors: Ivan Mikolajchuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva, Spartak Bagashvili
Plot: Taking place in a Carpathian village, the film follows Ivan as he finds love and tragedy - while the lively village changes with the seasons, holidays and events around them.
16. Ivan the Terrible, Part I ( Ivan Groznyy I )
Year of Release: 1947
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Biography/Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Actors: Nikolai Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, Mikhail Nazvanov
Plot: In this first part of the two-part life of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) we explore his early days after he crowns himself Tsar of Russia and beings cultivating his power and reclaiming lost territory. From various campaigns to an illness that nearly takes his life to threats from the aristocracy and his own family - he deftly plays his hand to keep his title.
17. Ascent, The ( Voskhozhdeniye )
Year of Release: 1978
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama/War
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Larisa Shepitko
Actors: Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergei Yakovlev, Lyudmila Polyakova
18. Cuckoo, The ( Kukushka )
Year of Release: 2003
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Drama/War
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Aleksandr Rogozhkin
Actors: Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov, Aleksei Kashnikov
19. Alexander Nevsky ( Aleksandr Nevskiy )
Year of Release: 1939
Overall Rating: 2.8 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Action/Drama
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein, Dmitri Vasilyev
Actors: Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov, Dmitri Orlov
20. Kidnapping Caucassian Style ( Kavkazskaya plennitsa, ili Novye priklyucheniya Shurika )
Year of Release: 1967
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: Russian
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Leonid Gaidai
Actors: Aleksandr Demyanenko, Natalya Varley, Ruslan Akhmetov, Yuri Nikulin
