User reviews

NO-ONE by Lev Prudkin and Vladimir Prudkin stirred up mixed feelings in me when I watched it. First, a warning, if you are uncomfortable with the topics of sexual themes and incest, you should steer clear of the film. Now that we have the warning out of the way, while I did not dislike the film, it was kind of mediocre. It has an extremely slow-moving plot, with long-drawn-out conversations, with the very first one taking close to ten minutes.

On top of that, I did not necessarily care very much for the themes of incest between the two main characters. It made it very difficult for me to understand the film's message fully, but other than the long-drawn-out conversations and incest themes, it was well-created. The camera work is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg, and the soundtrack was fun to listen to. I do think more music could have been implemented to help fill in some of the quiet moments.

Instead of really focusing heavily on the fall of the Soviet Union, though, it focuses a lot more on the affair between two of the main characters. While not necessarily a negative aspect of the film, it would have been great to see the film focus more on the actual events of the collapse rather than just the affair.

Overall though, I give the film a 5/10. It was neither a terrible film that I would not recommend to anyone nor was it really that noteworthy. Part of it is probably the fact that I have never really researched much about the time period in the film, but regardless of that, it can still be an enjoyable film if you enjoy slow-burn dramas.

Im not reqlly one to watch a movie in a different language, but I decided to give it a shot since I had seen that it won multiple awards. It was very professionally filmed. The actors were well-chosen and it was really thought out. You grew to know each character and the roles they played. Most were pretty unlikeable in my opinion. Some of them were also pretty bland, but that might have been the intention of the film and they way it was created.

I did like the way it was filmed, it was very visually appealing. However it seemed very drawn out.

I was able to follow along with the subtitles and not miss any details. The Russian language in the back round made it tough but Eventually, I got the hang of it and was able to follow along easier. You still have to pay close attention though so you do not miss any important parts of the film.

It seemed way more of a romantic drama film, which confused me after reading the synopsis and seeing the first scene having nothing to do with war. It will grab the attention of some people, or make them run depending on the person watching the film.

A scene more war-related would have grabbed my attention assuming what I read from the synopsis. After the first scene, you see two men, and things start to change into discussions of war. There are lots of twists and turns, blackmailing, affairs, and betrayal throughout the film. There were not any battle scenes as I expected in a typical war movie. There was still plenty of drama though. Overall, the main focus of the film was more on the sexual affairs going on rather than the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapse was more of what was going on during that period. Some scenes seemed to linger on way too long and were drawn out. The conversations just kept going, which was very hard to keep my attention with their quiet voices. I had to go back a few times and listen again because they had lost my attention and I had no idea what was going on. Eventually, something would happen to reel me back in. There is way too much dialogue and not enough action in my opinion. It gets stale here and there. The conversations are a bit slow and do not have many expressions. Lost my interest multiple times. I think after reading the summary, I had the assumption that there would be more action as with most war movies, but do not be expecting that.

As with any movie, there are positives and negatives. The big negative for me was the lingering, dull conversations and that it was really drawn out. The storyline is very creative, well thought out, and intriguing, but it could have been a little more had the dialogue been more than expressionless. You have to pay attention as you will be reading the subtitles the entire time. Once the General starts to learn all of the ways he is being betrayed by the people around him, as a viewer, I am hoping the whole time that he gets the revenge he should get towards those who did him wrong.

I would recommend it to someone they are looking for a foreign film, to watch and have an interest in drama, love, and a little bit of war. Would definitely say it is worth a watch.

No-One provides a painful look at the collapse of the USSR and the meltdown of personal relationships in the midst of it. Long walks with long, boring dialogues give the viewer a challenging task in staying engaged with the movie. While the movie contains lots of foreshadowing (some painfully obvious moments), the viewer is often left wondering, "What is the point of this? Why is this here?" The movie has wonderful music and mostly decent cinematography. There are a few shots and scenes that had me wanting the camera to not awkwardly zoom in. The characters are underdeveloped and one dimensional. I was left wanting more character development or just better characters in general. This was truly a slow burn. Unfortunately, it did not burn brightly.

This movie takes place at a time that was difficult for the Soviet Union. The main character is the wife of a high official and she seems to have been a lost soul. She is cheating on him and her lovers try to get revenge with her husband. There's a lot of sexuall activity in this movie. In the beginning there is a narrative about the time frame that the events are happening and then there is the the opening scene. The opening scene was an attention grabber. It caught my eye and I was ready to see what was next, but then it slowed down a bit. While it isn't the most exciting movie it has some interesting parts here and there. I was almost expecting something a little more educational but that was not the case. After the initial scene, it was slow, but then every now and then you'd get something to perk you up, some of the violent and torture scenes. I admit a lot of the dialogue was hard to follow at first, but the pieces started slowly coming together. Since it was in another language, I had to keep going back to catch some parts that I'd miss but that was not a deal breaker because of closed caption. The ending kind of made me think but I will watch it one more time to see if I can get more out of it the second time around. Overall, the movie was okay. You have to pay attention to really understand what is going on and when you do, it easier to see why things happen the way that they do.

This film serves as a metaphor of the political and social climates of the USSR through the lens of interpersonal relationships. As these climates shift, the parallels are felt as we watch the changing dynamics between the main characters and those they interact with. Tamara, the spiritually tortured wife of a KGB General, Vlad her filmmaker nephew, and Zina, Vlad's lover and the daughter of a political figure all dance together to demonstrate the expressions of pain, romance, and power as a medium from which the viewer can unravel the story of the collapsing USSR. The film is stark while also grandiose in its aesthetics through the visual settings and the characters themselves. Juxtaposition and drama make this film impossible to look away from, as you never know what is going to come next. This film provides a lot for the viewers to decipher and is one of the ones you will still be contemplating long after the last frame has ended.

No-One is advertised to be ab out how the fall of the Soviet Union affected people in that region. It has the stile of an artistic indie movie, with some gratuitous nudity and mild sex scenes that are pretty normal for the genre. If English is your only language and reading subtitles annoys you, then this isn't the movie for you.

There's a lot of drama and intrigue.

If I'm being honest, much of the movie focuses primarily on affairs, not the political coup, which makes the coup and the collapse of the Soviet Union seem more like a trivial subplot than it was advertised to be. But given the fact that the trailer for the movie on YouTube really told me nothing in terms of what the movie was about, I really had no idea what to expect from it.

Parts of it are slow and draggy, but that can happen even with some of the more top-rated movies. There's a LOT of dialog and very little action, which is odd when you consider that the collapse of the Soviet Union is the backdrop of this movie.

The little bit of action that does occur is completely predictable. And one prop in particular was ridiculously low-budget (watch til the end and you'll know which one. It has old school Evil Dead vibes without the comedy.), which sort of adds to the campiness of this movie.

Overall, it's alright for a foreign indie film. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. It could have been a lot better, but it's definitely not the worst indie film I've seen.

This slow thriller written and directed by Vladimir Prudkin and Lev Prudkin reads like a futuristic Cabaret. All the elements for pre WWII Berlin are in place here: the spies, the characters who are constantly performing, the depravity, the helplessness of its participants, shot with an unsympathetic understated metallic reserve.

Taking place on the precipice and then during the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the plot centers around the story of one family, also at war.

"If I lose today, I'll win tomorrow." One of the family members remarks tonelessly playing a game of cards with two women, one his fiance, and the other his Aunt (not by blood) as the world around them collapses.

The crux of the action takes place on the Crimean Peninsula where various members of the family gather in the Chekhovian countryside as the tanks also gather (unseen) on the city streets, one of the most powerful family members remarking in a monotone: "I am incognito."

The cinematography is impeccable, the set design as well, and the acting is strong. Overall the story, couched in metaphor, is almost too understated to be fully satisfying but it builds towards its final destination.

The juxtaposition in the movie "No-More" highlights the fall of Soviet Russia with the lightening contrasts as well as the passion versus deceit. Particularly the lightening is very grim in many ways with the dark hues of brown, green, and grey and then a splash of color with a painting showcasing flowers of pink. The scene of Tamara at the mirror subtlety tells her demise as the lights which once reflected her beauty are dimmed until total darkness.

The movie is well directed to the theme of how life imitates art. The sex depicts the desires of those who seek to be released from the Russian binds of communism/socialism. The deceit in which the sex is obtained communicates the lengths some will go through to have freedom. An artfully done film that is spellbinding in that the foreshadowing keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat with anticipation of what comes next.

In giving this movie five stars it is the quality of the talent and the message projected. A very sophisticated film for the times. Review by Marms.

No-One is a film that takes place against the backdrop of the 'August' coup in the early days of the fall of the Soviet Union. An independent film that delivers a style of art-house noir it builds tension with its description of sex, deception, and emotion. The acting is realistic and is on par with some of the A-Listers in Hollywood. The lead (Uncle) is the glue that holds the film together and while the supporting cast does a great job of being believable no one ever truly stands out such as him. The film does contain a lot of nudity and suggestive scenes but for an independent art house direction, it never comes off as distasteful and helps drive the plot and development of characters.

My biggest complaint would be the pacing of the film. It moves so slowly at times that it can be hard to hold the attention of the audience. While there are some moments that make you go 'oh wow' they are easily predictable and quickly forgotten by the next scene. What the film lacks it makes up for in its Cinematography. Honestly, the Cinematography is some of the best I have ever seen and at times you may think it was shot by Wes Anderson. Perfectly balanced colors and hues give way to dark and gritty textures that are perfectly blended for scenes that are meant to deliver tension. The set pieces of reminiscent of the early 90s but never go overboard and the locations are beautifully shot.

If you like Cold War-era films that focus solely on the drama without the action of a spy thriller or just love to study/experience beautifully shot Cinematography then No-One is a film you should definitely check out.

No-One is a smart indie film with some beautiful cinematography. It's obvious that the filmmakers put a lot of effort into making it look not just good, but authentic. The period costumes and cars have a genuine late-Soviet look.

Unfortunately, much of this effort is wasted on long, lingering shots that do nothing to move the story forward. At one point, the camera stayed on a cluster of rocks for so long that I skipped forward 10 seconds and didn't feel like I was missing anything. The ending montage also seemed to be shoehorning in a political message that, while I agreed with it, was really only subtextual in the script, which focused mostly on the romantic and family conflict between the main characters.

What saves this movie is the strong acting and the well-written script. I don't remember the name of the older male lead, but his performance was particularly impressive. I'm talking Gary Oldman levels of intensity.

If you want a fast-moving plot, give this movie a pass. But if you love a slow burn, you'll probably love No-One.

An interesting movie during the downfall of the Soviet Union that has an eery sense between the drama and the political issues, which were more in the background of the movie.

This movie kept me wondering what was going to happen in each scene between the scandalous and the revengeful acts. This movie was not fast-paced, but the slow anticipation is what intrigued me to keep watching. Even though I had a feeling about how the movie was going to end, I was curious about the stigma of how everything was going to play out. I like that it was a dark, eery plot without the use of gruesome violence and fast-paced revenge. The resemblance between the political downfall of the Soviet Union and the downfall of the Comrade's personal life was a subtle yet powerful juxtaposition.

Even though the movie is spoken in Russian, the English subtitles are easy to follow and you still get a full effect of the dramatic storyline. The movie was a recent production, but the film portrayed the era well. I would give a synopsis of the storyline, but I feel it is best to just watch it and experience the drama!

"The empire is crumbling. Fading away in the morning fog."

NO-ONE is a somber drama set against the final days of the Soviet Union from writing and directing duo Vladimir and Lev Prudkin which, through its' hour-and-a-half runtime, takes Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello" and wrings it through bleak bureaucratic hallways, saccharine seascapes, and melancholic mansions to tell a haunting and intertwining story about sexuality, age, power, and the pain of national trauma.

Our key players are Tamara (Nataliya Vdovina) the sexually ravenous young starlet wife of a KGB General on vacation in Crimea while her husband plays politics, Vlad her nephew and amateur filmmaker (George Marchenko), and Zina, Vlad's lover and the daughter of a Soviet Party boss played by Elizaveta Boyarskaya.

Their lives twist, tangle, and choke in a web of adultery and deception that is as haunting as it is entertaining.

You get the feeling that this isn't something you're supposed to be watching. There is a cynical tone in every frame, as if you are being noticed as a voyeur and not being dismissed but rather encouraged to spiral further into this nightmarish vacation.

It is a mesmerizing drama that is impossible to look away from, and will leave you hanging onto every word. It has been a critical darling with showings, nominations, and awards at various festivals including the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival, the New Wave Film Festival, and the East Europe International Film Festival.

The film is available to rent on Amazin Prime Video.

No-One is an interesting indie film, and very different than most films you will see. To start, the cinematography is beautiful, and the shots are very well shot. The story itself can be a bit confusing at times, I got lost at times balancing the political and social complexities of the film but see how it tied together at the end of the film to illustrate the fall of the Soviet Union. I would argue that the film resembles what is happening today with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the battle for Crimea. However, I'm not really sure what I was supposed to take away from the film, it appears that it was supposed to illustrate the fall of the Soviet Union, but I feel like I understand more about betrayal and scandals that didn't exactly add tons of value to my knowledge. The film could have touched much more on Russia in my opinion and why the Soviet Union fell instead of focusing so much on the social side.