4 (Four), 2005
4 was Khrzhanovskiy's debut feature film. Released in 2005, it brought him early international recognition and placed him among the most closely watched new directors of that festival season.
The film's circulation, awards, and critical reception established the starting point for the body of work that followed.
Festival run and awards
The film received the Golden Cactus and Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Best Director at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, the Grand Jury Prize as Best New Director at the Seattle International Film Festival, Best Film and Best Camera at the Transylvania International Film Festival, and the Best Director Prize at the Athens International Film Festival.
It was also nominated for the Fassbinder Prize of the European Film Awards and screened in the official programs of more than 50 festivals, including Venice, Rotterdam, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Tribeca.
After its festival life, 4 was distributed in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, Scandinavia, and South Asia. In 2025, it was selected by the Locarno Film Festival for the special program Histoire(s) du Cinema.
Selected responses
"Strange and sick-making, 4 will haunt you for days."
Time Out New York, 2006"Inventive, hypnotic and queasily humorous."
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2006"As close to the experience of an actual nightmare as anything I've seen on the screen."
Stephen Holden, The New York Times, 2005"An entirely singular, indescribable spectrum of filmmaking."
Michael Joshua Rowin, indieWIRE, 2006
Further reading
- Village Voice: The top picks from Tribeca. Dennis Lim described the film as a striking and unsettling vision of decay and absurdity.
- The New York Times: Critic's Notebook at Tribeca. A brief but memorable early note on the film's dreamlike severity.
- Los Angeles Times: Feature review. A review that emphasized the film's humor, unease, and formal confidence.