Pyotr495 (2016) User Reviews

Pyotr495: Casual encounter goes bad, then worse

[Platypuschow · 7/10 · 9 April 2023]

Plot

Set one evening in present-day Moscow, 16 year-old Pyotr is baited by an ultra-nationalist group known for their violent abductions and attacks bolstered by Russia's LGBT propaganda law, but Pyotr has a dangerous secret.

Cast

Unfamiliar with anyone or the creators

Verdict

A Canadian/German collaboration set in Russia it's quite a peculiar creature but certainly one I approved of. It sees our young gay gentleman meeting a random stranger for a good time only to find himself beaten, assaulted and tortured by bigots who believe ignorant outdated things about the LGBT community.

The encounter however doesn't go quite the way they planned and it's all done really quite well despite making you intentionally feel very uncomfortable early on. I don't mean the casual escapade I mean the bigotry and "Right" extremism. Violent, gory, deeply unpleasant and with some excellent visuals this is a great short with a deep meaning that only a fool wouldn't appreciate.

Rants

Why do people get so upset about things that simply don't matter? Things where there is no victim? Things that don't affect them in the slightest? Sexuality is a fantastic example of this, you don't need to understand it nor like it but why do you care? How does it impact your life? Is anyone being hurt because of it? So many issues in the world need your passion, need your attention and yet you choose to get upset about who Fred is attracted to? Don't like the LGBT community? Don't associate with them just like I don't like bigots and choose not to associate with them.

The Good

• Great concept
• Handled respectfully
• Solid social commentary

The Bad

• Could have used a bit more time
• Doesn't make for the easiest viewing.

Gruesome gay horror short

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 23 October 2017]

This is in Russian and takes place in Russia (but I think it was shot in Canada). A young gay guy named Pyotr (Alex Ozerov) goes to a guys house for a hook-up. The guy almost immediately knocks Pyotr out. Turns out he's a homophobe and him and his friends are going to torture Pyotr for being gay. Or will they? There's a twist that comes at the end that I saw coming from a mile away but it still worked. It's well-directed and disturbing as it should be. The acting is good all around and it really pours on the blood and gore at the end. It being in Russian isn't really a problem because it's all subtitled and it's only 15 minutes long. A good if gruesome gay horror short.

Great acting

[bigbundy69 · 7/10 · 2 December 2021]

I found that since it's a short movie & the director doesn't have a lot of time to do too many things that i'd risk to watch a full movie if he'd ever do one.

The story itself just presents how lawlessness (in 1 form) is encouraged in Russia but what really makes the movie is Sergei & the girl at the 'party' their acting is just superb.

salad

[Kirpianuscus · 14 December 2017]

Stereotypes about Russia. manifesto for sexual minorities rights. Central European myth. revenge. and cliches. a film who reflects good intentions and confuse way to use them. because something missing and, except the last scene, all is just an improvisation without not impressive result. you can define it as mediocre or decent. but the story and performances are not more than sketches who are only tools for a supericial horror with social manifesto potential.

The unexpected turn is not enough to save this mediocre film

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 30 October 2017]

"Pyotr495" is a 15-minute live action short film from 2016, so still pretty new and fresh. And it won writer and director Blake Mawson a pretty big deal of awards, which surprises me a bit as honestly the unexpected turn of events made it a bit more interesting and elevated the material, but it did not really turn it into a good or even memorably great watch. It's not an actors' movie, much more about the plot and story, but even for 15 minutes, it is a bit weak. We have a bunch of brutes luring a gay Russian young man into a trap and right when they and their Soviet Harley Quinn are about to beat him up, something extremely unexpected happens. It is a bit of a radical twist of events and I am sure many like it, but fighting violence with violence is not the right solution I must say. However, maybe I am interpreting too much into this, but as a whole I cannot say I am too convinced here as honestly the film does not have too much to offer, especially early on. It's not a failure either though, pretty mediocre I guess. If you still wanna check it out, make sure you get subtitles if you aren't fluent in Russian, even if admittedly it is not 100% essential to understand the dialogues in order to understand the film. The visual side is telling enough I guess. But the best choice may still be to skip it.