Gagarine

Great cinematography and heartfelt characters. A dream-like quality throughout with complex characters relationships and an overall uplifting experience.

Absolutely stunning cinematography! The first-time directors do an amazing job of making the most out of beautiful shots, quiet and sincere conversations, and the character's hope for something more from our species. There are many moving moments between the characters and so much is developed from this small and beautiful story. I really feel like there is something different and special about this captivating movie.

Yuri lives in the housing complex Gagarine. It's a run down place where people know each other and look out for one another. Yuri cares about the houses and does everything he can to make them liveable, for everyone. His mission is to save them from demolition.

This is a movie about a young boy fighting to keep his world. It's about being outside the society, love and friendship. It's also about dreams and finding purpose with your own solutions. I really enjoyed it.

Posed as a kind of magical realism, the adaptation of the short film "Gagarine" (2015) manages to broaden the vital horizon of the protagonist, although it does not reach a greater depth. The representation of poverty through the protagonist's dreams causes the visual aspect to opt in the last part for the fantasy embedded in a painful reality. In this sense, the directing work is remarkable, but it does not manage to solve the narrative dispersion.

I like this movie, made with a great sensitivity and accuracy, a good knowledge of the suburbs and pulled by directing skills from this young couple of film makers; a man and a woman. It is not exactly a drama, but more an analysis of the suburb and ghettos population's way of life. I felt close to those youngsters, though I have never lived what they feel. It's not LA HAINE nor LES MISERABLES, but it belongs to the same kind of social movies, not as gloomy as a Ken Loach. And for once, ghetto is evoked without drug traffic, only some weed use during a party between young folks. I definitely love this feature though this kind of picture is not necessarily my cup of tea. But the sad tone, not gloomy, sad, enchants me.