pauluswiggus

In this simple animated short, a composer is trying to write a piano piece, but is suffering from tinnitus. The high pitch ringing in her ears (visualised as fluorescent notes in the air) makes composing impossible, so she tries to chase them from her apartment, to no avail.

The idea here is simple, but fairly unique, and the execution is fine. The animation is of the hand drawn kind, but not spectacular. All very reminiscent of Disney's more artistic efforts from the 1930s-40s (like the sequences in Make Mine Music or Melody Time).

An okay short at only 7 minutes, worth a quick look for animation fans.

This film, made during the Soviet era, tells the story of a wealthy former beauty who begins an affair with a much younger man who has recently arrived in her provincial area. The man is something of a rabble-rouser, and his presence at the wealthy estate creates upheaval amongst the locals.

Being set in the 1800s, you might expect this to be a gentle comedy of manners, like a Jane Austen adaptation. In fact, it's quite a raucous, irreverent film, more reminiscent of contemporary period comedies like The Favourite or the TV series, The Great. The quality of the performances and cinematography are incredibly high, it a surprisingly beautiful film to look at, again unusual for a comedy.

That said, for a non-Russian viewer, a lot of the comedy is lost, with a strong focus on Russian class hierarchy (the director had previously been sanctioned for a perceived critique of the government in an earlier film).

Overall, lots the appreciate, even if the story and jokes don't always engage. A film that deserves more attention.

This Soviet era Ron-com directed by the highly regarded Samson Samsonov, tells the story of a textile mill worker, who lives in a female dormitory and serves as match maker for the other women. When a new commandant arrives, who has sworn off women due to a previously broken-heart, he clashes with the workers and tries to shut the match making service down. Predictably, a love story ensues.

This is all pretty standard rom-com fare, lightly entertaining, entirely formulaic. The interest for a contemporary and/or non-Russian viewer comes from the context of the textile mill and the dormitory, settings that are hard to imagine in a modern western country.

The production values here are okay, and the writing and direction are solid enough. Probably not enough to really recommend this as something particularly interesting, but nothing to overly critique either.