Based on his own hugely successful novel of the same name, Marc Dugain’s debut feature tells the story of an imagined encounter between the ageing Joseph Stalin (André Dussolier) and a young doctor Anna (Marina Hands).
Anna, who has extraordinary healing powers, is brought in to treat the ailing dictator after his own doctor has been “purged”.
She is terrified of the tyrant and his milieu but puts up with his aggressive, rambling manner to do the job. However, Stalin’s innately suspicious nature (coupled with his attraction to her beauty) lead to complications.
Seen entirely through Anna’s eyes, Stalin’s philosophy of terror, plotting and intimidation is laid bare. An Ordinary Execution is a compelling examination of the police state and a piercing insight into the mind of the last days of a dictator.