User reviews

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

No-One is an art house movie that does a lot of telling versus showing. The tone is set by the long opening narration that could be done with a series of photos and actual footage over the opening credits instead. I wanted to like the movie, but I just couldn't find anyone to root for. Ultimately, I never connected with anyone and couldn't tell if there was supposed to be a main character. At times, the cinematography was visually impactful, but it was inconsistent due to editing.

There were plenty of soliloquies while the actors stared into the camera to simulate experiencing a play. That added a little character to the film, but the dialogue wasn't compelling enough for me to enjoy the trick.

For the characters, there was a lack of growth; no arcs. Everyone does what was expected of them based on their introductions in the movie. The sleazy guy stays sleazy up through the end. The cheater cheats, the spy spies, the killer kills. There is a severe lack of emotion throughout that seems to be on purpose. Unfortunately, it backfires in the viewer not making any connections to the characters. And when the lack of emotion comes to a breaking point, the outbursts seem melodramatic by comparison.

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!

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.

Can admit this wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it still ended up being a really good movie. There were no physical war scenes like I imagined it would be based off the description and instead it was very sexual. The very beginning started off explaining things and that did give me some deeper insight which I liked.

The main character is an actress who gets a lot of attention but she makes a lot of personal choices that aren't idea for a married woman. We watch her do things which gets back to her husband and we get to see how it all unfolds. You have sexual scenes, black mail, anger flaring and more. I think for the price it was a good movie and I'm glad I got to experience it, especially since it won awards. There were a few scenes I think helped make it interesting for me like the video tape being sent or her head pushed down in the fish bowl. The ending was unexpected to me and that I like. It wasn't a predictable ending which is good for me.

The 2018 Israeli-Ukrainian film No-One, directed and written by Lev Prudkin and Vladimir Prudkin, brings to light the grimy, unclean party of Soviet society present in the global superpower shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Amidst the distress of a crumpling political system, in which some characters are directly involved, the film intertwines marital disloyalty with the inklings of political unrest. Produced in 2018, the film is eerily accurate at times, reflecting the sad reality that would, at times, turn out to be true in 2022, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The film by itself is eerie, at times making the viewer uncomfortable with long pauses and stiff, awkward exchanges between characters. Given the circumstances of the plot and the setting, I believe this move was not only accurate but deliberate for the general feel of the movie. The directors did a fantastic job at reflecting the simmering distrust and discomfort planted within the hearts and minds of the average Soviet citizen, with concern on the horizon about the well-being and existence of the state, and of the lives of its citizens. Especially for the characters involved in politics, the presence of the unknown is almost like the Grim Reaper, present in most scenes, lurking in the background or seemingly creeping up behind the main characters, waiting to strike. In a way, this figurative Grim Reaper affects the viewer too, causing him or her to grow anxious, waiting for the scene to end, and thus relieve the built-up pressure and suspense caused by this relationship. The dim colors and often spotty light heighten this effect, this mood of death creeping around the corner, never completely out of sight. Even in sunny scenes, such as when the characters are seen on the beach, there is still a strong sense of distrust and stiffness. Again, I believe that this is a deliberate, as well as a smart move by the producer, as it really seals the deal on the discomfort the characters feel given their situation.

At just under two hours long, this movie does drag on at times, and although the effects caused by this add a layer of depth to the situation, at times the movie is unnecessarily long. The opening scene, mainly an interaction between two of the main characters, Oleg Sergeyevich, General of the KGB and his nephew Vlad, holds importance to setting the stage for the rest of the film, although it seems excessively long.

In terms of production value, and of the quality of the picture during the scenes, I feel this film does exceptionally well. Dark angles and sharp contrasts create a stark scene in almost every part of the movie. Even when the sun is out, there is not significant stress present, the producers make the setting uncomfortable, almost inhabitable. In scenes where the viewer would traditionally expect something, for example a laugh or some form of communication, this film is silent, emotionless, and dim. In a way this is presumably realistic, especially in the Soviet Union during this time. In some sex scenes, the mood is barren of emotion, sometimes just showing two naked bodies after finishing to convey the meaning of what happened instead of showing. This causes a cold feeling, almost a shiver in the spine, to see how mechanical and robotic an act like this can be when done amidst sad circumstances.

Despite the ending becoming predictable after watching about half of the movie, due to the general tone and mood of the plot up to that point, the ending still manages to emit an additional groan of pain. Like a Shakespearean comedy ending, the characters appear to get what they deserved for all of their desperate, fleeting attempts to find meaning and purpose in their crumbling life and country. In a film where power is taken rather than given, the main characters of the plot find that their happiness, it seems, cannot be taken. Despite all of their attempts to find meaning through lust, deception, and disloyalty, they all, for the most part, meet the same fate.

Interesting, longish, and thought-provoking, I enjoyed this unique and eerily-accurate movie. Although the length and boredom of some scenes detract from the overall score, the honest and wonderful camera work made this movie worth the watch. 7/10.

Overall a great movie, very interesting to follow, and had some great lessons. The main actors were brilliant, Nataliya Vdovina (Tamara) especially. The Script was fantastic, it carried the audience on with emotion and there was artistic simplicity in the dialogue. I was left feeling very sad, for the fate of both the male acts who were involved in affairs with Oleg's wife (Tamara)

Easy to hate (Vlad) for knowingly choosing to be involved with a married woman his uncle's wife and blackmailing her. I like when Oleg confronted him with parables.

I feel the scene with Oleg and the lifeguard has so much unnecessary drama, Oleg is a general and I understand all the extra length before he dealt with his nephew but he could have gone straight to the point with the lifeguard, with no emotion attached.

I felt for the poor Oleg it seems he took his life swimming endlessly into the ocean. He has nothing left.

"The consequences that can come from an affair are too much to bear. And impossible to see when ur in the middle of it." a quote from cornie in unfaithful.

The movie No-One was one for some, not for anyone! Some people might turn the movie off right after the first scene. It's not what I expected. Before that, there is a slow written reel as in all of the Star Wars series setting the scene. As I did not know much about the Soviet Union collapse, having this information was very helpful in understanding this period.

I typically am not one to watch a movie in a different language or about war, 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 excellent and well-chosen. They were believable, you grew to know each character. They did a great job teaching the audience about each character, most were pretty unlikeable in my opinion. Some of them were also pretty dull, but that might have been the intention of the film.

I did like the way it was filmed, it was very visually appealing. It has a nice flow and a fantastic choice of music.

I was able to follow along with the subtitles and not miss any details. There were a few times, in the beginning, I needed to pause, back up, and re-read what they were saying because I had a hard time following along when I hear Russian in the background. 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.

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!

An action 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. The conversations just kept going, which was very hard to keep my attention with their quiet voices and dull tone. 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. There were a few things "action" scenes that happened but nothing compared to the focus on sexual affairs.

As with any movie, there are positives and negatives. The big negative for me was the lingering, dull conversations. 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 (of course unless you speak Russian) 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.

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. Give it a try, and take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Just check it out and see how it all plays out! I would say it is worth a watch.