Chekhov & Maria (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been going through a Chekhov obsession, so when I discovered there was a movie, I watched the preview and ordered it not long after. I was wary of it, seeing how Chekhov's relationships are misconstrued and no one really knows how he felt. I've read plenty of biographies and hold no affection for Olga Knipper (I could go on a tangent, but won't), while Maria has always stood as an interesting side character in the epic biographies I've tackled.
I was surprised, but pleasantly. I gave five stars because I usually start to check the time on movies after awhile; with "Chekhov and Maria", I only checked the time once as I had to pause the movie for awhile, but after that, I watched it straight through. It was interesting, well acted, well-produced (considering it's not a big budget), and the dialogue is fairly natural. Bottitta and Brashear have excellent chemistry, sibling wise, that is, and resonate well. His low-key presentation of Chekhov is spot-on. I know less about Maria, but Brashear plays her part well, regardless of its accuracy.
The biggest flaw of the movie is the inaccuracies on aspects of Chekhov's life. Maria didn't actually live with him in 1901. She was a teacher in Moscow, sharing an apartment with Olga Knipper, whom she was friends with. Their mother lived with Anton, Maria visiting often. The miscarried child likely was Chekhov's; Olga had visited him at Yalta in February not long before. Maria did not steal his letters or initiate contact with Smagin (as far as my knowledge goes). However, these facts are sacrificed fairly. It sacrifices facts to properly portray their complicated, long relationship in an hour and a half. Antosha and Masha were close siblings and loved each other deeply, even a bit obsessively, and the movie truly catches that part of their relationship. She sacrificed much for him, he knew this and only seemed to acknowledge it in his will, in true Chekhov style. Also, it does quote translated letters almost verbatim and describes certain events well (particularly when Maria had told Anton of Smagin's proposal). So facts aren't completely sacrificed in the name of this movie.
If you are curious about Chekhov's life, certainly recommended. I'm keeping it on my DVD shelf and I'll probably loan it around.

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