Zavod

The atmosphere is profoundly dark with a medieval exploitation of Russian workers in an outmoded factory in the suburbs of a small industrial town. Unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth and/or suffer from aggravated autism, you should be immediately in empathy with this bunch of no-hopers who rebel mainly because of a lack of choice against the oligarch who informs them, coldly and without any qualm, the impending closure of the factory. The continuation is a modern and military adaptation of Germinal (Émile Zola, 1885).

Moreover, as the society is profoundly changing, this story is probably a harbinger of manifold similarities in the real life, as the ravages of the French « gilets jaunes » which have been world-widely broadcasted.

Atmospheric, bleak. I really liked the beginning scene, as a russian citizen I quite felt that. Bykov does a great job at portraying good shots, I believe them. Brings the memories of watching "The prisoners" by Denis Villeneuve. Characters are good, almost everyone has a unique story and something in common - nothing to lose. Well, not exactly. Freezing metal, never ending night rain, sad reality which pursues the workers of the factory. Welcome to zavod, tovarishi.

Some scenes feel incomplete, obscure and break the dynamic. Several action moments are unpredictable and better than today's Hollywood junk. The story itself is good, but not great, at least for me. For non russian viewers it will seem odd, probably. I didn't get what Bykov had to say specifically. Maybe something about people's egoistcal nature, two completely different figures fighting against each other ideologies, but are they really that different? Perhaps not.

First, let me say that such a topic could easily have been done in France, because it's such in the French fashion to tell a story abut workers fighting against an evil boss who wants to sell their factory and then fire them all. Yes, we have already seen this before many times in France. but this feature is from Russia with the Russian fashio, and the terrible economical and social context. The true analysis of the Russian society today. Very complex and not to sîmple to understand for a French. It's also an action thriller, very gloomy and disturbing, depressing too. .But this is Russian.

Well it seems that evil Russian empire lets the directors and writers get away with a critic of the very oligarchs that have profited from Putin's ultra-capitalist policies... But this story is not very hopeful for would be revolutionaries. It seems that the moral goes something like : "Don't waste your time with revolutions, the only hope s to fend for yourself if you are strong enough or to stay put otherwise." So is this truly a free movie ?

I loved this movie, like all of his previous ones, there is a common dark atmosphere and a raw look into Russian society and mankind in general.

The actors are excelent, the script is brutal and honest, the writing is very good and it will make you think in the end.

It's a movie about man, greed, despair, numbness, lost souls, what's not to love.