Connect with us
Alexander Zolotukhin's debut film, 'A Russian Youth,' melds music and image in a unique way. It doesn't all work, but makes for fascinating cinema.

Film

Berlinale 2019: ‘A Russian Youth’ is a Unique Take on Soviet Melodrama

Alexander Zolotukhin’s debut film, ‘A Russian Youth,’ melds music and image in a unique way. It doesn’t all work, but makes for fascinating cinema.

Soviet cinema often depicts war from the viewpoint of a young man. Think masterpieces such as Tarkovsky’s Ivan’s Childhood or Klimov’s Come and See. A Russian Youth, deploying the technicolour aesthetic of 40s and 50s Soviet melodramas, joins this fine tradition, providing a unique take on the war genre. An experimental production that scores the horrors of World War I to an orchestra rehearsing two pieces by Rachmaninoff, it’s a bold and risky film that nonetheless doesn’t quite pay off.

The film starts in the thick of war, with a plucky-yet-useless young boy rushing to join his friends at the Eastern front. During his first encounter with death, he is blinded by a gas attack. He refuses to go home, leading his comrades to think of another use for him: he is quickly tasked with listening for enemy planes, plugged into a huge telescope-looking machine that can pick up sounds from very far away.

These plot developments are intercut with an orchestra rehearsing both Rachmaninoff’s “Third Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” and “Symphonic Dances” — replete with the conductor’s comments on individual performers. The effect is something like the opening sequence of Moonrise Kingdom, narrated by Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra.” Sadly, it never quite settles into an enjoyable rhythm. The film would’ve been better off if the orchestral cuts were constant, creating a kind of Vertovian silent film montage — or if it didn’t feature them at all, simply allowing the narrative to speak for itself. 

Perhaps these breaks are made to stress the artificiality of war narratives themselves, the way they are created like music to manipulate the heartstrings. Or perhaps more knowledge of the context of Rachmaninoff’s pieces — “Third Concerto” was made before WWI, “Symphonic Dances” before WWII — is needed to appreciate the mixture of music and image here; it’s hard to say. This is no pro-war film, but it can’t quite be described as anti-war either, considering the Brechtian orchestral breaks that stall the narrative. There are some strong metaphors swelling around. Seeing as Russia lost heavily in WWI and capitulated to a communist takeover, the hero being a blind young boy determined to fight no matter the odds actually makes a lot of sense. Additionally, there is a strong homoerotic undertow, including the very touchy friendship the blind boy and his helper enjoy, as well as other nude frolicking in bathhouses and lakes. This queer playfulness is at odds with the serious story matter, seemingly satirising the very nature of war in favour of uber-comradely behaviour.

A Russian Youth marks the debut of Alexander Zolotukhin, supported by legendary director Alexander Sukurov’s own non-commercial film fund. It was shot at the legendary Lenfilm studio, home of over 1,500 Soviet productions. For fans of Soviet aesthetics (such as Academy Ratio), bold colour palettes, strong anti-Church themes, and the glorification of Communism, the studied nature of these images is pretty impressive. If only the two disparate elements were better reconciled, then A Russian Youth could’ve really been sublime.

The 69th Berlin Film Festival runs February 7, 2019 – February 17, 2019. Visit the festival’s official website for more info.

Written By

As far back as he can remember, Redmond Bacon always wanted to be a film critic. To him, being a film critic was better than being President of the United States

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

Lauryn Hill Joins Drake On Stage During Night 1 Of Wireless Festival

Celebrity

Taylor Rooks Seemingly Responds To Drake’s Mention In Unreleased Song From “ICEMAN” Livestream

Celebrity

Jurassic World Rebirth review: Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey help the franchise roar back to life

Film

Fat Joe accused of sex acts with minors in $20 million lawsuit filed by former hype man, rapper denies allegations

Celebrity

15 Best Military Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Film

Mello Buckzz’s Boyfriend Shot-&-Killed During Her Mixtape Release Party

News

Tyler Perry Pops Out At Beyonce Show In Paris Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Celebrity

Jameela Jamil Net Worth: Actress, Advocate, and Influencer

Celebrity

The Best Albums of 2025 (So Far)

Film

Lil Wayne “Tha Carter VI” Review

Celebrity

‘Christy’ Review: Brothers Estranged by the Care System Rebuild Their Bond in a Moving Irish Crowdpleaser

Film

Sabrina Carpenter unveils new album art ‘approved by God’ after controversy over original’s suggestive imagery

Celebrity

Trillian, Busta Rhymes’s Son, Prepares To Inherit The Throne: On NLE Choppa Collab, Lyrically Sparring With His Dad & The Significance Of Lil Wayne’s “10,000 Bars”

Celebrity

F1 Review: Brad Pitt’s Sports Drama Has Exciting Racing Scenes And A Bloated Runtime

Film

Trippie Redd Reportedly Arrested In Miami For Mysterious Reasons

Celebrity

Eminem’s Stalker Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence For Home Invasion

News

Connect