Pierlequin (2001)

Filmed as both a biopic and a parable, this film covers the life of Leonid Engibarov and famous clown/poet in Armenia in the 1960's and 1990's. It is also an allegory of the love affair of the director and is native homeland of Armenia. Much of the film is intensely surreal and is meant to represent many of the challenges that the countries faced after gaining Independence form the Russian Soviet State. The title derives from two style of Italian "comedia del arte"--Pierro and Halequin. The cinematography in this film is meant as a tribute, or homage, to Les Enfants du Paradis