evgueny

I went to see this movie with my six-year old son. He has a baby sister and is rather familiar with sibling jealousy. While watching the film I thought that it was only slightly better than terrible because the story line was too complex for kids and too boring for adults. Moreover, my son felt pretty scared during a few episodes, which was quite contrary to my expectations, too. However, after we left the theater, he said that he had enjoyed the movie. He added that he was happy his sister was not a baby boss and that he loved her very much. As soon as we returned home, my son hugged and kissed our baby daughter. And before going to bed he said he wanted her to sleep with him in his room. So apparently the creators of this film got something right after all.

The first two thirds of this two hour long movie are surprisingly good. Solid work by the director, captivating story, nice overall acting, especially by Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall. At its climax the film offers the viewer an interesting choice. One side is an ostensibly good, but also powerful, unpredictable and therefore fearsome monster. The other side is predictably evil, violent, murderous and destructive. There could be lots of ways to resolve this dilemma, so the lack of both imagination and logic in the last third is just staggering. If you are going to see the movie with your kids, to avoid facing questions that have no answers, it may be a good idea to think together about a different ending. Still, even the last part is visually quite entertaining.

"Stilyagi" is one of the best Russian movies I have seen in the past 10 years. The director and actors did wonderful job. The movie is both romantic and fun, and at the same time it gives insight about a curious historical phenomenon.

The World War II not only devastated Russia, but also exposed the otherwise isolated country to Western culture through captured movies, vinyl LPs, art, fashion clothes, and other spoils of war. This was particularly valuable for people who wanted to express their difference from others. They started to copy perceived "American" lifestyle, especially the clothes, using films like "Sun Valley Serenade" and the covers of jazz LPs as primary references. Not surprisingly, the result was an outlook more typical for Western show business entertainers than for mainstream design. Although the group believed that their attire was the true definition of style, the rest of Soviet population labeled them "stilyagi" to show their disapproval. In the totalitarian regime "admiration for the West" was a felony, however, after Stalin's death state security was reluctant to take action and stilyagi were facing relatively modest retaliation, mostly from local Komsomol (Communist Party youth wing) activists.

Since the movie is about liberty and has elements of a modern musical, I feel like comparing it with "Across the Universe" (2007). In this comparison, "Stilyagi" is more dynamic and psychological, while actors' voices are just as good. The main duo of Anton Shagin and Oksana Akinshina, who are playing a Komsomol activist Mels in love with a female stilyagi member Polza, are delivering excellent performance, which is especially striking given their young ages. (It is ironic that Mels is an acronym for "Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin," and "Polza" in translation from Russian means "use.") A scene of a Komsomol meeting is truly memorable and in my view is a masterpiece. The music is mostly modern Russian pop and alternative rock, with lyrics adapted to the plot. The ending, which makes a connection between liberty ideals of stilyagi and modern youth, sounds like a bold statement in the nation that is still re-thinking its past.