Tchaikovsky's Wife

Tchaikovsky's Wife is a historical drama centered on Antonina Milyukova, a young woman from the Russian aristocracy in the nineteenth century. Captivated by Pyotr Tchaikovsky's music, she pursues him with single-minded devotion and pressures him into marriage. The composer, who needs to protect his reputation in a society that would never accept his private life, agrees to the union, but the arrangement quickly collapses. He grows cold and abusive toward her, while Antonina, unwilling to let go, endures humiliation and abandonment as her grip on reality weakens.

Kirill Serebrennikov directed and wrote the screenplay, working from a story of an obsessive marriage against the backdrop of imperial Russia. The film follows his earlier features Leto and Petrov's Flu, and Alena Mikhaylova plays Antonina opposite Odin Lund Biron as Tchaikovsky, with Nikita Elenev, Ekaterina Ermishina, Philip Avdeev and Miron Fedorov in supporting roles. It was produced by Serebrennikov with Murad Osmann and Ilya Stewart.

Released in November 2022, the film runs 144 minutes and combines drama with history, romance and thriller elements. It took in about 1 million dollars worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from roughly 2,300 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.1 from around 81. A critics' score of 6.5 from 33 reviews places it close to the audience ratings.