The Beautiful Leukanida: early animated fable of love, jealousy, war and annihilation in an insect universe
Wladyslaw Starewicz, “The Beautiful Leukanida / Prekrasnaya Lyukanida” (1912) In a long career spanning some
Category: Russian and Soviet Films
Reviews of films from Russia and from the Soviet period (1917 – 1991) including all films made during that time in countries that are now independent.
The Cameraman’s Revenge: the camera as a mirror of human behaviour as performed by insect puppets
Wladyslaw Starewicz, “The Cameraman’s Revenge” (1912) A deftly crafted and delightful animation short, this silent
Northern European Films | Russian and Soviet Films
MH17 – Call for Justice: independent journalists’ investigation and findings create more questions than answers about the official investigation
Yana Yerlashova, “MH17 – Call for Justice” (Bonanza Media, July 2019) Five years after the
Japanese Films | Russian and Soviet Films
A society fragmenting in “Dying Alone: Kodokushi, Japan’s epidemic of isolation through the eyes of a ‘lonely death’ cleaner”
Artyom Somov, “Dying Alone: Kodokushi, Japan’s epidemic of isolation through the eyes of a ‘lonely
Masha and the Bear (Season 1, Episode 17: Recipe for Disaster): Masha and kasha aren’t a good mix
Oleg Uzhinov, “Masha and the Bear (Season 1, Episode 17: Recipe for Disaster)” (2009) Despite
The Mirror: a loose autobiographical work on memory, history, nostalgia and regret
Andrei Tarkovsky, “Zerkalo / The Mirror” (1975) For most viewers, Tarkovsky’s “The Mirror” won’t be
A dense and really hard-hitting documentary in “Nationalized Finance: Russian Direct Investment Fund Focuses on Helping Country Expand and Grow”
“Nationalized Finance: Russian Direct Investment Fund Focuses on Helping Country Expand and Grow” (Vesti News,
A superficial survey of how far a society has recovered a decade after years of war and destruction in “Chechnya: Republic of Contrasts”
“Chechnya: Republic of Contrasts” (RT Channel, 2013) Made in 2013, this RT documentary is probably
Australian and New Zealand Films | Russian and Soviet Films
Exposing and satirising British news media propaganda idiocy in “The Hooligans: Joining the Kremlin’s Football Army”
Pavel Serezhkin, “The Hooligans: Joining the Kremlin’s Football Army” (2018) Here’s a very funny mockumentary
Loveless: a character study and thriller that criticises Russian society as stagnant, self-absorbed and materialist
Andrei Zvyagintsev, “Loveless” (2017) As with previous films of Andrei Zvyagintsev that I’ve seen, “Loveless”