When the movie have finished and I left the cinema, I was fully immersed in the atmosphere of the movie. It is really beautiful and very amusing movie.
First of all, I'd like to emphasise how beautiful is the movie. It brought me back to St Petersburg and I want to walk on it's streets one more time. Even though the film didn't show the glamorous side of the city, it shoed typical architecture, weather and mood of it.
Secondly, I was quite surprised by the costumes, especially by the uniforms of the soldiers (not sure how to call them). The main character at first looked like skin-head, notoriously known to be a lot in St. Petersburgs after USSR collapse. So I felt antipathy towards the main character, simply because if my own associations.
And yet, red sport costume with black shoes and jacket looks very rich and impressive in contrast with the poor and grey city. As if only these soldiers are the most important people in this city, only them can wear new and colourful clothes.
The story takes place in Russia 1937 or 1938 - the time that became a narrative name for totalitarian and merciless political regime. Today, when the Russian news are full of cases of freedom of speech violation, political prisoners - people are asking if we are back to 1937. So when I was watching the film, I felt pain for the past and fear for the future.
I could not understand the main character Captain Volkonogov. First, he was portrait as a strong and smart person. But once he escaped, he was only strong. Did they wanted to show him frightening when he was one of the soldiers and then emotionally retarded because that what kind of people go to work for that goverment?
First of all, I'd like to emphasise how beautiful is the movie. It brought me back to St Petersburg and I want to walk on it's streets one more time. Even though the film didn't show the glamorous side of the city, it shoed typical architecture, weather and mood of it.
Secondly, I was quite surprised by the costumes, especially by the uniforms of the soldiers (not sure how to call them). The main character at first looked like skin-head, notoriously known to be a lot in St. Petersburgs after USSR collapse. So I felt antipathy towards the main character, simply because if my own associations.
And yet, red sport costume with black shoes and jacket looks very rich and impressive in contrast with the poor and grey city. As if only these soldiers are the most important people in this city, only them can wear new and colourful clothes.
The story takes place in Russia 1937 or 1938 - the time that became a narrative name for totalitarian and merciless political regime. Today, when the Russian news are full of cases of freedom of speech violation, political prisoners - people are asking if we are back to 1937. So when I was watching the film, I felt pain for the past and fear for the future.
I could not understand the main character Captain Volkonogov. First, he was portrait as a strong and smart person. But once he escaped, he was only strong. Did they wanted to show him frightening when he was one of the soldiers and then emotionally retarded because that what kind of people go to work for that goverment?