skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Film: Velvet Revolution
Release date: 1st November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Oleg Stepchenko
Starring: Alexey A. Petrukhin, Aleksey Kravchenko, Aleksandr Karpov, Oleg Taktarov, Michael Madsen
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Studio: Scanbox
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
Fledgling Russian director Stepchenko tackled that ‘difficult second movie’ phase with this frenetic crime film. Delving deep into the soviet drug trade, his film is a curious mix of action and film noir.
Major Vershinin is a cop dedicated to toppling the crime in his district. A loose cannon with a dark past, he focuses all his energies on the capture of two mob lieutenants, Pike and Rock.
After a botched operation at an American football game, Vershinin begins to doubt his own capabilities, and suspects someone has been plotting against him - every step of the way.
Vershinin must contend with a drug addled wife and his daughter’s hedonistic lifestyle, while at the same time attempting to thwart the plans of crime kingpin Kurkov and his dealings with an American drug lord and a mysterious benefactor. He must do this under the watchful eye of Suvorovtsev, a new partner assigned to keep him in check...
Michael Madsen used to be a big pull back when the memories of psychopathic killer Mr. Blonde (Reservoir Dogs) were still fresh in the collective film going mind. Now his presence on the cast list of any film usually indicates a production lacking in quality. This may seem like unfair stereotyping of a jobbing actor, but, sure enough, Velvet Revolution starts off with a short cameo from Madsen and from then on, it’s all downhill.
Attention deficit editing makes the films opening act nigh on unbearable for anyone wanting any semblance of story or character introduction. Stepchenko bombards us with firecracker imagery and lightning fast location changes handled with all the finesse of a golf club to the head (which may or may not happen in the film’s opening moments, it all depends on your ability to not blink).
The film slows down a bit as we are introduced to Vershinin, who is played with little subtlety by Aleksey Kravchenko. This is a considerable shame because it is Kravchenko who so impressed in the 1985 masterpiece Come And See - here he uncomfortably spits out samples of the hackneyed script and makes an occasional stab at playful comedy.
Velvet Revolution’s key failing is its confused identity. Vershinin’s world-weary narration and troubled family life have an air of noir-ish cop drama, while interludes of playful bickering between himself and Suvorovtsev suggest a buddy comedy. As the confused story draws on, we enter Bond-style action territory, complete with nefarious evil schemes and overblown action set pieces. It’s difficult to pin down the film’s motives, as most of the time it doesn’t seem to have any.
The cast are patchy across the board, with Kravchenko giving a confused central performance replete with forced emotional outbursts and posturing. Alexey Petruhkin is a bit more engaging, perhaps because the script requires nothing more from him than stoicism. Anna Chipovskaya and Viktoriya Tolstoganova are good value as Vershinin’s misanthropic daughter and junkie wife respectively, but they aren’t given enough screen time to make enough of an impact.
Action fans won’t be disappointed; explosions come thick and fast and serve to break the monotony. A skirmish in an underground drug lab is one particular highlight, which manages to throw an awkward phone conversation and a couple of chickens into the fray. It seems Stepchenko is adept at overseeing a great shootout, but flounders when it comes to orchestrating a decent exchange of dialogue.
Some solid action aside, Velvet Revolution fails to do anything but bore with its one-dimensional characters and convoluted plotting. There is a pre-credit dedication to those who “stand guard over the future of our children,” suggesting a message lost amidst all the frantic edits and bad acting - and highlighting the muddled tone of Stepchenko’s film. KT
War drama starring Mira Sorvino and Gabriel Byrne.
At the height of World War II, English journalist Kate Davis (Sorvino) becomes trapped within the besieged city of Leningrad.
Separated from her lover, writer Philip Parker (Byrne), and presumed dead, Kate is rescued by Nina Tsvetkova (Olga Sutulova), a female member of the Leningrad militia.
Joining forces with a makeshift band of survivors in the famished city, the two women battle to stay alive throughout the devastating 800-day siege.
Film: Attack On Leningrad
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 146 mins
Director: Aleksandr Buravsky
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino, Aleksandr Abdulov, Vladimir Ilyin, Mikhail Efremov
Genre: Drama/War
Studio: In2Film
Format: DVD
Country: Russia/UK
Film: The Admiral
Release date: 14th June 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 99 mins
Director: Andrei Kravchuk
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Vladislav Vetrov, Sergei Bezrukov, Richard Bohringer
Genre: War/Drama/History/Romance
Studio: In2Film
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
When the Tsar took Russia into the First World War against Germany, he had no way of foreseeing the terrible events that would unfold, and the men and monsters that would be unleashed upon his country. When the revolution strikes, Russia is thrown into chaos as the Communists fight for power, but in the East a movement has arisen. The Whites to fight the Reds. They are led by a national hero, Admiral Kolchak - the Supreme Leader of Russia.
In late 1916, Admiral Kolchak is in charge of a mine laying ship in the Baltic Sea when a German ship – the Karl Friedrich arrives on the horizon. The Friedrich is many times more powerful than Kolchak's ship, and practically blows her to pieces. Kolchak, with most of his crew dead or wounded, personally fires a direct hit on the enemy battleship and then succeeds in luring her into the mines Kolchak has just laid. An almost suicidal strategy, but one that succeeds. The Friedrich is beaten.
At the subsequent celebrations, Kolchak meets Anna Timirev, the wife of his second-in-command, Sergey Timirev. Kolchak and Anna fall in love immediately, but Kolchak chooses for them to be separate to avoid further pain to their spouses. Even so, they write often. Sergey eventually asks to be transferred to avoid further humiliation.
The Tsar promotes Kolchak to Vice Admiral, commanding the Baltic fleet, but the Tsar is soon deposed. The sailors of the fleet revolt and the officers of Sergey's ship are executed, Sergey manages to escape, and he and Anna flee to the East. Kolchak's ship also revolts, but Kolchak avoids bloodshed by surrendering power. The provisional government sends him into exile in America.
Kolchak soon returns, gaining a power base in Irkutsk, Siberia. He takes command of the resistance. The Siberian “White” government opposing communism and fights his way west using trains to take his army across the icy landscape. Anna hears of his return and travels to meet him, but on seeing him give a speech, she becomes a nurse, and follows the army anonymously so that she does not distract him from his destiny.
As the army pushes towards Omsk, their base in Irkutsk is threatened. Kolchak makes the decision to retreat in order to consolidate his strength, but the railway workers on which he is dependent are beginning to revolt. As his train makes the dangerous journey back East, Kolchak finds Anna and they are finally able to be in love in the last few days until the train is finally stopped. Kolchak, Supreme Leader of Russia, is executed…
The Admiral is a film that wants to be Dr Zhivago. An epic love story stretching across the Russian Revolution. Unfortunately, it comes across as an empty story devoid of emotion and devoid of context.
Kolchak is one of the major figures of Russian history, but by the end we are none the wiser as to who Kolchak is. His achievements are treated strangely, the fight with the Karl Friedrich at the beginning is pretty much pure cinematic fiction, and Kolchak's achievements as an explorer are ignored. His exile, return and installation as Supreme Leader of Russia all occur off-screen, and his final campaign is treated without context. Why does Kolchak oppose communism? Was he a royalist? A friend of the Tsar? An anti-communist? Or simply exploiting an opportunity? Worse still, the allegations that Kolchak presided over massacres and mass torture in a brutal military dictatorship are completely ignored. This is available in further reading, but in the context of the film not only does it leaves our ‘hero’ without life, without reason for anything he is seen to do, but at best it betrays the man, and at worst, deliberately misinforms.
The film tries to focus on the love story between Kolchak and Anna, but without knowing Kolchak, or indeed Anna, beyond the fact that they both look beautiful, we cannot understand what attracts them to each other. The ‘love story’ is completely empty, devoid of reason, the history a hotch potch at best. Kolchak and Anna spend the entire film whispering sweet nothings about how much they love each other, but at no point does the film show why.
This lack of emotional understanding by the director extends beyond the basic story. Kolchak and Anna's spouses are treated equally badly. After establishing that Kolchak is married and has a son, and that they are upset about his adultery, they are given almost no screen time, and are completely absent from the final third of the film. Sergey gains a little more exposition, but also disappears from view once Anna leaves him. Kravchuk is only interested in his two principals, but this hamstrings the whole film.
Several battle scenes in the second half, choreographed with skill and looking good, are also pointless as we have no reference to the men fighting the battles, only their high command, which is Kolchak looking stern and severe in a train carriage. The cast and two leads give us their best, but without the backing of script or director, their efforts are in vain.
It is impossible to deny, however, that the film looks good. The CGI is used sparingly and effectively, with the Karl Friedrich, in particular, positively terrifying. The costumes are sumptuous, the cinematography bewitches at every turn. If only this was all that were required to make a film. For a historical epic, it's a sadly wasted opportunity.
A pretty film hides an emotionally empty story, all the sadder for it being true, and therefore a failure to show the reality and events of the time. The longer it goes on, losing context and character development as it goes, the more soft focus it becomes. Until, by the end, you're not sure why you cared. A folly. PE
Film: Black Lightning
Release date: 6th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Dmitriy Kiselev & Aleksandr Voytinskiy
Starring: Grigoriy Dobrygin, Ekaterina Vilkova, Viktor Verzhbitskiy, Valeriy Zolotukhin, Ekaterina Vasileva
Genre: Action/Family/Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Russia
Black Lightning is your 'typical' story of an ordinary boy, who is given an incredible flying car for his birthday. He then uses the car to become rich in order to win the heart of a girl, but becomes embroiled in a fiendish plot which could end up destroying Moscow!
Dima (Dobrygin) is the kind of boy no-one at school remembers - poor and clever - whilst his best friend is the richest and most popular boy in school.
Dima comes from a normal, down to earth family. His father is a man who believes that nothing in life matters as much as being a good person and doing the right thing, values he has tried to instil in his son. Dima is jealous of his rich friend Max who has the best clothes, the best gadgets, the best car, and, most importantly, the beautiful new girl from their Economics class.
Everything changes for Dima when he is given an old Volka car for his birthday. Ashamed at first, he may have been dreaming of a Mercedes-Benz, but never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined taking possession of the incredible car which will change his life completely.
Will Dima use his new flying car to gain wealth and success, and win the heart of the beautiful Nastya? Or will he use the car for the greater good and prevent the evil Kuptsov’s (Verzhbitskiy) plans which could see Moscow literally sinking into the Earth?
The first thing to notice about Black Lightning is that the look and tone of the film bears more than a passing resemblance to Day Watch and Night Watch. Black Lightning co-director Dmitriy Kiselev was an editor and second unit director on the aforementioned films, as well helping out with Bekmambetov’s Wanted, and the trademark car chases, slow-motion sequences, and non-Hollywood special effects are all well to the fore here. And it is a very good thing Black Lightning is so well made, because there are many familiar story elements and plot devices - Black Lightning not only wears its heart on its sleeve, it wears its derivatives on its forehead. However, Black Lightning is an enjoyable romp, so it’s not surprising a Hollywood re-make has already been mooted (with Bekmambetov rumoured to helm).
Grigoriy Dobrygin gives Dima the necessary pathos in the now familiar Peter Parker-esque role, although the paucity of his family life is illustrated without the need for clunky dialogue, which is way more successful than the Spiderman films. If there are any complaints, it is that the short run time doesn’t allow Dima an entirely believable character arc. It’s a bit rushed, but for a film aimed at the family, this is a minor quibble.
A larger quibble is that Dima’s character IS Peter Parker without the spider bite! Even his character transition is sparked by an event taken directly from the Spiderman back story, which is a shame, because Grigoriy Dobrygin’s performance may not be recognised due to the startling lack of imagination in Dima’s characterisation.
Also, as in Spiderman, Black Lightning is really a story about a girl, in this case the beautiful Ekaterina Vilkova. She plays Nastya; love interest, object of desire, and reason for Dima’s transition from nice guy nobody to selfish high-flyer. The love triangle between Nastya, Dima and Max is surprisingly well played, and it’s impossible not to really root for our heroes.
Where Black Lightning differs from other superhero films is that the real star of the show is the car. Dima’s ancient black Volka is a thing of real beauty, and the rather silly premise which enables the car to fly is good fun. Watching the car zooming above the streets of Moscow via the impressive effects is exhilarating, and there is a decent success rate for the visual gags.
Another of the features shared with Day Watch is the supporting cast, and amongst the familiar faces is the excellent Viktor Verzhbitskiy playing bad guy Kupstov. During the first third of the film, Kupstov’s relationship with Dima is especially rewarding as Dima’s moral compass is shifted by the magnetic presence of his charismatic mentor. Unfortunately, much of the good work is undone as the tension is lost when the film movie towards its cartoony climax. Saying that, we are treated to the sight of three elderly scientists being tied to a giant drill which is being used to mine underneath the streets of Moscow, as well as a flying Mercedes which bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain flying Delorean, so it’s not all bad!
Black Lightning is fun for kids of all ages, although the very young may not be able to keep up. If young children don’t like the subtitles, the dubbing is pretty good, with annoying voices kept to a minimum. The performances are decent, the story is well paced and the action is interspersed at regular intervals throughout. Even if you don’t become totally involved with the film, you can enjoy yourself spotting which script ideas have been taken from other films. SM
Film: The Island
Release date: 21st June 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 112 mins
Director: Pavel Lounguine
Starring: Pyotr Manonov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Dmitry Dyuzhev
Genre: Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
Not to be confused with the terrible Ewan McGregor/Scarlett Johansson action film released around the same time, The Island comes to our shores with a host of awards from its native Russia, who, at their annual Golden Eagle Awards proclaimed it to be the best Russian film of 2006. A deeply religious film about the nature of faith, forgiveness and one man’s ability for miracles, it’s been praised by the Russian Orthodox Church leader Alexis II as being a wonderful love letter to the church.
The film opens during World War II, where sailor Anatoly and his captain, Tikhon, are apprehended aboard their ship by Nazi Germans. The leading Nazi officer offers the chance for Anatoly to live if he shoots and kills his captain. Begging for his life and trembling with fear, Anatoly reluctantly carries out the act, shooting his captain who falls overboard and into the sea. Moments later the Nazis blow up the ship with Anatoly still on board. The following morning Anatoly is discovered washed up on the shore by a group of Russian Orthodox monks who take him to their island monastery.
Thirty years pass and Anatoly is still living within the monastery, riddled with guilt over the events of the war, often praying in seclusion for forgiveness. With a seemingly miraculous gift (he’s got a knack for healing the sick and predicting the future), local towns people flock to Anatoly for cures or guidance, much to the confusion of the other monks.
A man arrives at the monastery with his possessed daughter. Anatoly performs a form of exorcism on the girl and rescues her soul. The girl’s father, it turns out, is his former captain, alive and well and not dead as Anatoly assumed. Will he be forgiven or will his former captain bear a grudge?
The film’s best moment comes early during the Nazi standoff aboard the ship. Tense and expertly acted, and reminiscent of Great War scenes before it, the scene leads to hopes that the rest of the film will follow in similar fashion, but that isn’t the kind of film The Island strives to be - it has far bigger ideas to contend with.
Director Pavel Lungin has created a contemplative fable within a very isolated atmosphere. He is competent enough behind the camera; it’s what’s in front of it that’s questionable. Set in a misty, snowy, windy island in remote Russia, it’s a film that certainly won’t win any tourism awards. You’ll find yourself often yearning for the sun to come out, and perhaps this is the kind of metaphor Lungin is trying to convey, as Anatoly fights with his inner conscience.
The film unwraps slowly, maybe too slowly, as Anatoly is revealed gently over the course of the two hours. Played remarkably well by ex rock star turned actor Pyotr Mamonov (a real-life orthodox Christian), he is onscreen for almost the entire film, creating a complex character who, despite falling into self-pity, at times, remains on the right side of likeable. He’s certainly a man of contradictions, prankster one minute, fervent worshipper the next, whose devotion is never in doubt. Bearded and gaunt, and always looking in need of a bath, he cuts a pained figure, looking much older than the actor’s 59 years.
Each of the monastery’s monks represents a sin - the human faults and material longings that hinder spiritual redemption - and Anatoly, desperate for forgiveness, challenges them all in his own complex and unique way. He feels forgiven by God, but seems to be struggling to forgive himself, thereby representing the challenge to find his inner peace, something many of us can possibly relate to.
The music complements the film nicely with moving choral singing, which fits perfectly during Anatoly’s spiritual examinations and thoughtful insights.
The Island is perhaps best watched when we are at our worst, or seeking repentance from our own sins. It deals with forgiveness and one man’s quest to find his own, but the film’s lack of colour and lightness of touch will presumably turn off a large portion of the audience. It’s a difficult film to sit through, purely because it’s extremely bleak and mildly depressing in its execution. Those that stay the course, much like Anatoly himself, may feel like taking a long rest afterwards.
The Island wants to be thought provoking, with its religious themes and complex characterisations, but whilst it should be moving, the unrelentingly cold makes it a dreary and tiresome watch. GY
Film: Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors
Release date: 10th May 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Sergei Paradjanov
Starring: Ivan Mikolajchuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva, Spartak Bagashvili
Genre: Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
Based on the book Tini Zabutykh Predkiv (translates to Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors) by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, the acclaimed debut feature from eccentric Soviet-Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov (released in 1964) finally receives a DVD release.
In a village of Carpathian Hutsuls (a group of Ukranian highlanders), Ivan (I. Dzyura) and Marichka’s (V. Glyanko) families are at war with each other, soon resulting in the death of Ivan’s father at the hands of Marichka’s. However, this does not stop the two from secretly beginning a childhood romance which will shape the rest of their lives and last forever.
In addition to the deaths that loom over them, their romance must face yet another obstacle when adult Ivan (Ivan Mikolajchuk) must leave the village to earn a living as a hired labourer, having pleaded with Marichka (Larisa Kadochnikova) to wait until winter for him, watching the stars each night to remind each of the other. Nevertheless, the fate of the lovers is sealed when one night, while climbing a cliff to watch the stars, Marichka plummets to her death in the river rapids below.
Ivan is overcome with grief, running away from everything to pursue a solitary life, which he leads for many months, until some nearby villagers coax him into getting drunk and beginning a loveless relationship with Palagna (Tatyana Bestayeva). However, he never truly loves Palagna, and the couple are constantly haunted by the spectre of his true love, Marichka…
There are certainly some unusual camera and editing techniques in Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors, not least for the time in which it was made. The colour red features prominently in the film, not only as the colour font used for the titles, but the entire picture often flashes red whenever there is a tragic occurrence in Ivan’s life, which sadly, for him, is frequent. Other striking techniques used are the frantic camera movements and rapid zooms, which signal death or a sense of foreboding. However, this does not necessarily come across accurately, often making the film look more like a low budget horror flick.
A soundtrack of Russian folk music and hymns scores the film, resulting in a sound which could certainly be considered an acquired taste, but, nevertheless, is entirely relevant, and works perfectly with the backdrop of the film. This landscape figures importantly, as the beautiful Carpathian Mountains serve as a looming entrapment for the characters during the first half of the film, as Marichka and Ivan know that they will never be together in their current environment, while after Marichka’s death, they are a constant reminder to Ivan of the loss that he has suffered. The doom laden quality of the mountains is punctuated by the constantly overcast sky which projects darkness on to the village, and taints the otherwise beautiful landscape. Even during moments when the sun appears, such as times when Ivan and Marichka are happy together, or as children frolicking in the woods, it is blindingly bright, creating a sense of intoxication.
Not only does the music and setting create an effective Carpathian atmosphere, but the costumes are also fantastic. Featuring vibrant colours and unusual patterns, each character genuinely looks as if they belong to this environment. Parajanov has succeeded in his creation of an environment which is incredibly important to the film, as a story about a group of people who have gone widely unrecognised. Surely a large portion of the general public will not be aware of who the Carpathian Hutsuls are, and there are very few stories, either on film or in literature, about them.
The film runs into trouble when some aspects of the acting are taken into consideration. The first character development in the film comes from the young Ivan and Marichka, painfully approached by poor child acting - it seems this cannot be avoided whether in Hollywood or world cinema. The building of their relationship, as the lovers age, is punctuated by, at times, overly melodramatic acting from Kadochnikova and Mikolajchuk - although this does contribute to a Shakespearean quality to the film, with ties to Romeo & Juliet (Marichka and Ivan the ‘star-crossed lovers’) and Macbeth (Palagna’s use of witchcraft). However, Mikolajchuk shines through when his character faces tragedy, delivering an emotive performance as a grief stricken loner.
Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors features beautiful cinematography and fantastic direction from Parajanov, but falls short in the performance department if you cannot see past the Shakespearean comparisons. HB
Film: Tulpan
Release date: 12th April 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy
Starring: Askhat Kuchinchirekov, Samal Yeslyamova
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Drakes Avenue
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
Sergei Dvortsevoy demonstrates how an age old formula, in the hands of a talented director, can become a beautiful, award-winning film. Now released on DVD, two years since its 2008 theatrical release, the film received the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes.
The story features lowly farm hand Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov), who longs to move away from his brother-in-law, Ondas (Ondasyn Besikbasov), and his steppe to build his own yurt and family, and set up a flock of sheep of his own. In order to do so, he must find a wife, which proves difficult considering that there is only one suitable woman in the area who rejects Asa with the excuse that his ears are too big. Unwilling to accept her refusals, Asa continues to pursue Tulpan, only to discover that she plans to leave for the city. This encourages his best friend, Boni (Tolepbergen Baisakalov) - the comic relief of the film - to move forward with his own dream to leave for the city with Asa.
Meanwhile, Ondas is haunted with troubles; his flock slowly dwindling from too many stillborn lambs, and his family falling apart from unfulfilled dreams of leaving the steppe, in addition to arguments surrounding Asa’s presence. He represents the stereotype of the harsh father of the household – for example, he neglects his children even though they all repeatedly make attempts to please him (Maha (Mahabbat Turganbayeva) with her singing and Nuka (Nurzhigit Zhapabayev) with his endearing mischievousness).
Beke (Bereke Turganbayev) also searches for the respect of his father, as the oldest son who helps on the steppe, and recites news broadcasts for his father, adding a political insight to the story for both Ondas’ character and the viewer. At one point during the film, the children are seen massaging Ondas after he has spent a long day on the steppe, while arguing with each other clearly in an attempt to fight for his affections and respect. However, his affections are required elsewhere, as he endeavours to individually save his other children - the new born lambs…
The film is punctuated with two contrasting musical styles throughout the soundtrack. Firstly, a repeated use of Rivers Of Babylon by Bony M, played by Boni in his car to remind himself and Asa of their dreams of paradise - he, surrounded by attractive women in the city, and Asa on his own steppe with a family (his “little corner of paradise”). The other music is purely diegetic, featuring the two main female characters: Samal (Samal Eslyamova) and her daughter, Maha, singing. Samal’s voice is beautifully poignant, as she sings her children to sleep, appearing to be the only part of Ondas’ life which makes him show any form of emotion - smiling and finally showing affection towards his wife. However, Maha barely speaks, preferring to communicate through repeatedly singing the same song, which never pleases Ondas, instead becoming an annoyance to both himself and the viewer.
The prospect of escape is forced on Asa from many angles, so much so that the viewer is left questioning whether he actually wants to leave, or whether it is simply expected from his generation. Boni constantly talks of his dream of the two in the city, and Nuka echoes these dreams by pleading for Asa to take him away - when he finally meets Tulpan, he discovers that she plans to leave for the city and gain an education. All signs seem to point to Asa leaving the steppe, although he never expresses any desire for the life that everyone else seems to want for him. Nevertheless, Kuchinchirekov delivers an excellent performance as a young man attempting to prove himself to his brother-in-law/boss, and the woman he plans to marry but has yet to meet.
Considering the plain and uninteresting landscape that Tulpan is set against, as well as the lack of creativity with the basic story formula (although telling the classic story of the fight for the ‘American Dream’ from a Kazakh perspective does warrant recognition for originality), it is surprising that Dvortsevoy has succeeded in creating a film that is both compelling and emotionally involving - the viewer hoping for Asa’s success from start to finish as a relatable, simple character with simple dreams - while simultaneously depicting a moving portrayal of the hardships of a Kazakh steppe.
Although it is not a laugh-a-minute comedy, there are a number of comic moments in the film, focusing largely on dry humour and reaction comedy. For example, Boni often acts as the comic relief of the film with his laddish dreams of constant sex when he moves to the city, and the magazine cut-outs of naked women plastered all over the inside of his car. The odd facial appearance of Asa is also a running joke within the film, beginning with Tulpan’s rejection of him due to his big ears.
Tulpan is a compelling film with simple characters, and although the story lacks originality, Dvortsevoy has succeeded in creating a film which is both emotionally involving and relatable. HB
