Amateur. Another child of Gregory of Constantinople. The film brings nothing new to the filmography of the director, does not open new ways. The picture turned out to be a pretty cute postmodern joke for the circle of connoisseurs of Gregory's work.
Plot. It seems simple, but if you look closely, you can see a lot of interesting details. Everything here doesn't work that way. This is the essence of Constantinople postmodernity: a frivolous duel in gaggy costumes, a bull-second, which in itself is an oxymoron. Here, even the “Chekhov rifle” fulfills its purpose in an unusual way.
Actors. Efremov believably drunk, playing with his eyes, fighting in a strange costume. The pal perfectly depicts a pathetic boy “in style”. Makarevich even with his small role manages to attract attention, and Shcheglova is given the role with all its authenticity. There is even a cameo by Gregory of Constantinople, whose acting is difficult to appreciate.
Meaning. The idea of the film is that everything men do is because of women who, in general, can achieve happiness and comfort without men, but still submit to the strong half of humanity, following perhaps some historical masochism. This strained thought and fastens the arthouse opus, making it at least a little holistic and meaningful. Most of all, “Olesya” resembles the work of Yorgos Lanthimos, which, however, looks more advantageous due to the modern message and lack of background.
Constantinople is firmly and, it seems, forever stuck in the sweet postmodernism of the late 90s, which is no longer interesting to anyone. However, Gregory made a good absurdist comedy about the place of women in the world.
8 out of 10