The Blues – The USSR Is The Stronghold of the Blues
REVIEW
by Amina Shokarimova
08.10.2020
08.10.2020
The Blues ("Хандра", 2019) is a movie about friends, full of jokes for Muscovites and hard-core moviegoers. The quotes and references are great here, but it's not clear if the average viewer will understand them.
"Russia is for the sad" – in recent years, this particular quote has received tremendous distribution from the younger generation. This has already become a stereotype: they say, foreigners are surprised how unsmiling and unemotional Russian people are. However, it's all the fault of our living conditions – in Moscow everyone is in a hurry, everyone has their own worries. But does it mean that laughter and jokes have no place in the lives of Russians? Of course, it doesn't. This is what the main characters of the new comedy prove to us.
The Blues is a one-day story based on real events. Three guys - Vitalik (Danila Yakushev), Denya (Michael Troinik) and Lesha (Kirill Kovbas) –
rent an apartment together, and now it's time
to pay for it. This is where the adventures
begin: DJ Vitalik's girlfriend Lena (Ksenia Zueva) begins to suspect him of treason and throws
out a bag with money for an apartment in the Moscow River, Denya's ex-girlfriend Fima (Ekaterina Ageeva), having found out about her pregnancy, comes to him from Krasnoyarsk, the aspiring director Lesha faces the task of making a patriotic movie about sports to raise the national spirit of the country, and a speechless musician (Semyon Barkov), who has appeared from nowhere, cannot get drugs from under the tree near the monastery. During the day, the guys have to deal with all the problems that have piled up, find money for an apartment and just stay alive.
rent an apartment together, and now it's time
to pay for it. This is where the adventures
begin: DJ Vitalik's girlfriend Lena (Ksenia Zueva) begins to suspect him of treason and throws
out a bag with money for an apartment in the Moscow River, Denya's ex-girlfriend Fima (Ekaterina Ageeva), having found out about her pregnancy, comes to him from Krasnoyarsk, the aspiring director Lesha faces the task of making a patriotic movie about sports to raise the national spirit of the country, and a speechless musician (Semyon Barkov), who has appeared from nowhere, cannot get drugs from under the tree near the monastery. During the day, the guys have to deal with all the problems that have piled up, find money for an apartment and just stay alive.
The film truly justifies the title of the comedy. There are plenty of fascinating moments both in the plot and in the dialogues. A reliable description of the realities of Russian people's life has become an obvious advantage of the movie. The interior and the music help to make a complete picture. A bunch of shoes next to the front door, a light bulb instead of the chandelier in the hallway, old furniture, Soviet songs coming from the radio, a description of the long-term trip in the third class on the top shelf near the toilet – every detail is familiar to the average viewer, everything makes them feel nostalgic and close to the protagonists.
Moreover, the excellent camera work of Nikita Kornev shouldn't be overlooked. In the film, different plans beautifully take turns and there are many unusual angles – for example, frequent bottom-up filming. In addition, it's worth mentioning high-quality editing and well-fitting special effects, such as pop-up text messages or maps.
Moreover, the excellent camera work of Nikita Kornev shouldn't be overlooked. In the film, different plans beautifully take turns and there are many unusual angles – for example, frequent bottom-up filming. In addition, it's worth mentioning high-quality editing and well-fitting special effects, such as pop-up text messages or maps.
The Blues is open-ended. According to the director Alexei Kamynin, the film doesn't have much of an idea. The main goal is just to laugh at the hardships of life and say that everything will be fine. The attempt to make the film both auteur and close to everyone was successful – qualitative filming and the catchy fast-moving plot is a new word in the history of the Russian comedy.
The Blues – The USSR Is The Stronghold of the Blues
REVIEW
by Amina Shokarimova
08.10.2020
08.10.2020
The Blues ("Хандра", 2019) is a movie about friends, full of jokes for Muscovites and hard-core moviegoers. The quotes and references are great here, but it's not clear if the average viewer will understand them.
"Russia is for the sad" – in recent years, this particular quote has received tremendous distribution from the younger generation. This has already become a stereotype: they say, foreigners are surprised how unsmiling and unemotional Russian people are. However, it's all the fault of our living conditions – in Moscow everyone is in a hurry, everyone has their own worries. But does it mean that laughter and jokes have no place in the lives of Russians? Of course, it doesn't. This is what the main characters of the new comedy prove to us.
The Blues is a one-day story based on real events. Three guys – Vitalik (Danila Yakushev), Denya (Michael Troinik) and Lesha (Kirill Kovbas) – rent an apartment together, and now it's time to pay for it. This is where the adventures begin: DJ Vitalik's girlfriend Lena (Ksenia Zueva) begins to suspect him of treason and throws out a bag with money for an apartment in the Moscow River, Denya's ex-girlfriend Fima (Ekaterina Ageeva), having found out about her pregnancy, comes to him from Krasnoyarsk, the aspiring director Lesha faces the task of making a patriotic movie about sports to raise the national spirit of the country, and a speechless musician (Semyon Barkov), who has appeared from nowhere, cannot get drugs from under the tree near the monastery. During the day, the guys have to deal with all the problems that have piled up, find money for an apartment and just stay alive.
The Blues is a one-day story based on real events. Three guys – Vitalik (Danila Yakushev), Denya (Michael Troinik) and Lesha (Kirill Kovbas) – rent an apartment together, and now it's time to pay for it. This is where the adventures begin: DJ Vitalik's girlfriend Lena (Ksenia Zueva) begins to suspect him of treason and throws out a bag with money for an apartment in the Moscow River, Denya's ex-girlfriend Fima (Ekaterina Ageeva), having found out about her pregnancy, comes to him from Krasnoyarsk, the aspiring director Lesha faces the task of making a patriotic movie about sports to raise the national spirit of the country, and a speechless musician (Semyon Barkov), who has appeared from nowhere, cannot get drugs from under the tree near the monastery. During the day, the guys have to deal with all the problems that have piled up, find money for an apartment and just stay alive.
The film truly justifies the title of the comedy. There are plenty of fascinating moments both in the plot and in the dialogues. A reliable description of the realities of Russian people's life has become an obvious advantage of the movie. The interior and the music help to make a complete picture. A bunch of shoes next to the front door, a light bulb instead of the chandelier in the hallway, old furniture, Soviet songs coming from the radio, a description of the long-term trip in the third class on the top shelf near the toilet – every detail is familiar to the average viewer, everything makes them feel nostalgic and close to the protagonists.
Moreover, the excellent camera work of Nikita Kornev shouldn't be overlooked. In the film, different plans beautifully take turns and there are many unusual angles – for example, frequent bottom-up filming. In addition, it's worth mentioning high-quality editing and well-fitting special effects, such as pop-up text messages or maps.
Moreover, the excellent camera work of Nikita Kornev shouldn't be overlooked. In the film, different plans beautifully take turns and there are many unusual angles – for example, frequent bottom-up filming. In addition, it's worth mentioning high-quality editing and well-fitting special effects, such as pop-up text messages or maps.
The Blues is open-ended. According to the director Alexei Kamynin, the film doesn't have much of an idea. The main goal is just to laugh at the hardships of life and say that everything will be fine. The attempt to make the film both auteur and close to everyone was successful – qualitative filming and the catchy fast-moving plot is a new word in the history of the Russian comedy.
