Films dedicated to some bright but fleeting phenomenon should be watched hotly. After the passage of time, when not only the documentary lost its relevance, but the very reason for its creation was thrashed by a web, when the excitement and special mood of society fell asleep, everything that happens on the screen is perceived as something that has outlived its own.
Short shelf life of the tape Krichevskaya Faith. And maybe in another five years, five cuts from interviews, shots of touring, endless rehearsals, dialogues, abundantly flavored with matte, will be completely uninteresting, or even little understood.
Putin left the harvester!
Putin! This is where the man sat.
Strangely perceived now pathos of the speeches of the fathers and mothers of the project "Citizen poet", which blew up the minds of fleetingly, stirred up what seemed to be a huge country, giving it the right to publicity and satire in relation to the powerful (not on paper, but in practice). And now four years have passed, and you do not understand whether the "Citizen Poet" or this is the producer Andrey Vasiliev, the artist Mikhail Efremov and the poet Dmitry Bykov, like Voland and his retinue (or, say, Chichikov) traveled through Moscow and Russia, giving unique performances, and melted in the night mist?
He dragged Russia to the ground -
It does not have to be removed from it.
It is difficult to say whether Vasilyev, Efremov and Bulls were deceived, saying in a voice that for them it was a project not about politics, but about art, but for me it has always been so. I was really attracted and pleased with its artistic filling, cool filling. And the notes of politically audacious statements were only spices of this dish.
We are not in Tunisia, not in Cairo.
In Russia, we are like mice in cheese.
And the Arabic version is unrealistic in the Russian world.
Of course, this film was designed as a kind of appendix to poems, a book and everything that surrounded the year “Citizen of the Poet”, and now it has become something like a simple time machine – it is quite suitable for even two hours to remember what was or what could become the wind of change that blew over the boundless Russia.
6 out of 10
Performed in the aesthetics of a suicide retrospective portrait, not alien to donorship and representation, “The Run of the Year” merrily gratifies the modest charm of staged poverty and moderately busy behind the scenes. Director Krichevskaya squeezes the last life juices of a high-profile project and sculpts a movie from improvised materials, involuntarily winking at the mimic nervous tic of a not too flattering sentence to evolutionary encroachments, stinking ordinary cowardice. Efremov flaunts an unimaginable jacket in a flower, bourgeois leaders (represented by Uncle Misha and Uncle Sasha - billionaires) and citizens of demons with all their being manifested by Nanai toads and vipers, Bykov saturates himself with nicotine, live performances break through the picture of meetings, Vasilyev trumps the drunken face and hoarse voice, and quite expected in these circumstances chips like lengthy interviews of participants and travel sketches are now and then floating under the style of Youtube. Almost all the characters adorn the proud prefix "ex" - there is a former editor, and a former president, and a former prime minister, and another former editor. Present, of course, and the actors — the current Russian poet Bykov, the current Russian actor Efremov, the current Russian businessman Prokhorov. But even with this amendment, the only real ones on this holiday of life look like mothers of poets and citizens – wise women with a long life, doomed to accept the sham Donkitov’s sons. Good hipster faces will please the viewer with a pinch of hope, afterlife assurances of the inviolability of the Cheka will dilute hope with skepticism, the famous oppositionist Grebenshchikov will glorify the power of culture. And Michael Prokhorov will be asked to stay. Applause, curtain.
And now the tour ended, the workers of the enterprise scattered in their corners, protest activity moved back to the Internet, and the subjects of sovereign democracy supported the Brezhnev aspirations of the national leader, without much thought about the fact that all this movement resembles a black magic session with the resurrection of the dead. It is time to sum up the preliminary results, remembering the golden, immortal lines of William Shakespeare: “A plague on both your houses!” Let us leave the bluish khmuriks who rattle menacing statements from the high stands, every fool understands that their only task is to lie, twist, mislead and trumpet the retreat. Let’s talk about the elites, vividly reminiscent of the weeping lieutenant Rzhevsky from the notorious anecdote. Let’s talk about the representatives of civil society who physically cannot walk past the mother-in-law’s house without joking and shell the Kremlin towers with retweets full of new sincerity, generating satire similar to cheap clowning to a degree of complete identity. Let’s talk about the fathers of Russian democracy, who do not exclude cooperation with the bloody regime, and their supporters, who echo the leaders in a friendly chorus – they say, and we do not exclude. Who would rule it out? Finally, let’s talk about how the sky deals with the crimson sunset, marking the imminent end of the dilapidated post-Soviet shed – the consistent rejection of any initiatives that differ in any way from the complacent “what do you want?” is the best way to summon the very wind in the whole world that Block once wrote about. Some frantically sneer at political sketches for the rash of the day, others expect inevitable banderlogs, others build the Good Propaganda Machine, painting paper bills with visual agitation, and others register doomed political parties. There are also fifth and sixth, but it is enough to push the falling, they will cope perfectly with the task of sinking into the cold darkness of oblivion. Listen to "The Times They Are a-Changin'" old Dylan, take a good look and you'll see a man in French walking across mountains of time, allowing himself the luxury of being both an aristocrat and a democrat, a revolutionary and a reactionary, depending on the places and circumstances in which he has to be and act." Remember how the mentioned Boris Borisovich sang in those glorious times, when the citizens of newborn Russia, not really understanding what happened, patiently waited for the imminent construction of the garden city? Now we know what silver feels like. Let’s see what happens to the acid.
“Citizen Poet: Run of the Year”, where most of the conversations with the direct participants of the events were filmed allegedly with a hidden camera, summed up the year-long broadcast of the project, which fell into the target audience almost dead. Director Vera Krichevskaya, who wished to answer the question, which can be formulated as “What was it?”, coped with the task. Although the director had not only to investigate in hot pursuit, but also to touch on such air-weightless matters as freedom or unfreedom, patriotism and defeatism, conformity and rebelliousness.
In 2008, documentary filmmaker Alena Polunina in her “Revolution, which did not exist” very correctly grasped the current state of the domestic opposition – all against everyone, and to a state of almost clowning with separation from the audience. Of course, for four years, the authorities consciously developed this state, excluding all possible encroachments towards the coveted golden calf.
Krichevskaya had a share, following the Wanderers Bykov, Vasiliev and Efremov, to consistently refute this thesis and return to it again, only with slightly different results. So, instead of a motley opposition from an unexpected angle, the long-suffering Russian people, longing for truth and tired of grinding through all the latest political trends, sitting in the kitchen. “Citizen Poet” gave people what they had long dreamed of – freedom of speech, so much so that you do not have to answer for it. Politicians are still waiting on the sidelines, but their hour will come when the Bolotnaya materializes. Bykov writes, Efremov reads, Vasiliev directs.
Juggling terms such as “Perestroika-2”, the intelligentsia clearly dreams of the times of Brezhnev stagnation, when jokes about the ageless Leonid Ilyich were tightly included in the popular use. In fact, the anthem of today has only changed a little - "Day in the newspaper, evening on the Internet." The counterweight to their sons-shalopai are wise mothers, whose eyes betray endless anxiety for the tricks of offspring. You’re crazy, but remember who you’re joking with. They are still ruled by fear, from which their sons are happily spared. They're not afraid, that's their strength. Like the first Mowglis out of the jungle.
But if you stop blindly squinting, and closer to clearly consider the daredevils, you can find a curious project created not only to tell the uncomfortable truth. The old format in view of the new rhymes suddenly played out, attracting the attention of not only the authorities (and in fact could overbought), but also potential oppositionists. And those, lost from spitting in their direction, quickly realized that in any situation business remains a business. According to this format, “Kommersant” worked, according to the same scenario, “Citizen Poet” developed, leaving the “Rain”. The conditions of independence were respected, so everyone was satisfied. “The wolves are fed and the sheep are whole.” And the people are silent, charged with passionary energy, he from a small whole again begins to split into heaps.
“Citizen Poet: The Run of the Year” is, of course, no documentary film, but a skillfully orchestrated reality, where the eternal longing of the Russian intelligentsia, not ready to give their lives not only for the tsar, but also for possible changes in society, jumps through the border of intelligent and debatable editing glues. The courage of Bykov and his associates is more like an imaginary buffoonish skill at the royal courts than a test of the lice of power. It seems that the truth pours out, as from a horn of abundance on the people, but still - to most like a wall of peas. Power, realizing this, slowly pits the steam, also follows the principle of wolves and sheep. Those who want to look closely, of course, will see a crack in the armor. Undoubtedly, let the suffering see. If only it didn’t turn out to be another illusion.
“Are you shaking, villager?”
That's right, shake it. (c)
"Citizen poet" - an unprecedented opportunity for Russia in the new century to listen to what is happening in the country meaningfully and in verse. Bulls, Vasilyev and Efremov - individuals who were not afraid to go to the court of the public, first through the Internet, then on small venues, and then there was Crocus City Hall, touring around the country and abroad, continuing to this day. Their production clearly and clearly explained the political situation in the country, and lasted on the stage for a year.
Vera Krichevskaya made a picture in which she not only was able to convey the main motives for the creation of "Citizen", but also tried to expand the boundaries of history, giving the floor not only to the mothers of Bykov, Vasilyev and Efremov, but also to Prokhorov, Mamute, etc. thereby expanding the boundaries of staging. Her work is much more subtle and effective than that of the creators of "Heaven under the Heart", who talked a lot about "Shevchuk" and his position, but the film remained a beautiful, concert recording of the group "DDDT". Mixing interviews, youtub'ov videos and search engine Google Vera told the story of a group of people who, as best they could, fought for the right cause. Despite the fact that the director tried to make a political film, she succeeded only partially, "Citizen Poet" is more like a confession about why and why the project was created and then dissolved.
The script of the picture, if there was, then only in the form of sketches. As soon as Vasilyev had money (prokhorov gave it, because he was sure that the project should continue to develop), he immediately began work on the film. The project is filled with information and stories told by the characters, on them the whole essence of the picture is built.
Mikhail Efremov found his niche in Russian cinema a long time ago, but "Citizen Poet" gave him the opportunity for creative growth, something that no other project could offer him.
The project is full of information about the former editor-in-chief of Kommersant Andrey Vasilyev, who performed on Citizen Poet not only as an actor, but also as a director. He is given the longest interviews in the film, this is the man who gave the production the most energy.
Dmitry Bykov is an author who tries to express his opinion on what is happening in the country. The poet got so used to the production that literally each of them sounded new monologues about what was happening in the country at that time.
The timing and specificity of the production is something that can make the audience think. Almost two hours of talk plus fragments of theatrical production is a lot, especially without any more complex and intriguing ideas of the director. Politics as the basis of the plot is too narrowly focused for the public accustomed to visiting cinemas in search of all kinds of entertainment.
"Change of the Year" - a political statement that today there are people who are able to talk about the powerful. This picture will undoubtedly appeal to all who tirelessly follow the political situation in the country and those who missed "Citizen of the Poet" in the form of a theatrical production.