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The Student

Original title: (M)uchenik
  • 20162016
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
Trailer for The Student
Play trailer1:02
4 Videos
41 Photos
  • Drama

Contemporary Russia. A high school student becomes convinced that the world has been lost to evil, and begins to challenge the morals and beliefs of the adults around him.Contemporary Russia. A high school student becomes convinced that the world has been lost to evil, and begins to challenge the morals and beliefs of the adults around him.Contemporary Russia. A high school student becomes convinced that the world has been lost to evil, and begins to challenge the morals and beliefs of the adults around him.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kirill Serebrennikov
  • Writers
    • Kirill Serebrennikov
    • Marius von Mayenburg(play "Martyr")
  • Stars
    • Pyotr Skvortsov
    • Viktoriya Isakova
    • Yuliya Aug
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kirill Serebrennikov
  • Writers
    • Kirill Serebrennikov
    • Marius von Mayenburg(play "Martyr")
  • Stars
    • Pyotr Skvortsov
    • Viktoriya Isakova
    • Yuliya Aug
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 18 wins & 26 nominations

    Videos4

    The Student
    Trailer 1:02
    The Student
    The Student - US Trailer
    Trailer 1:01
    The Student - US Trailer
    The Student
    Clip 2:35
    The Student
    The Student - Social Spot
    Clip 0:31
    The Student - Social Spot

    Photos41

    Viktoriya Isakova and Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Viktoriya Isakova in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Viktoriya Isakova in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Aleksandr Gorchilin and Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Aleksandr Gorchilin and Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Aleksandra Revenko in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Aleksandra Revenko in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Pyotr Skvortsov in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Svetlana Bragarnik in (M)uchenik (2016)
    Anton Vasilev in (M)uchenik (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Pyotr Skvortsov
    Pyotr Skvortsov
    • Veniamin Yuzhinas Veniamin Yuzhin
    Viktoriya Isakova
    Viktoriya Isakova
    • Elena Krasnovaas Elena Krasnova
    Yuliya Aug
    Yuliya Aug
    • Inga Yuzhinaas Inga Yuzhina
    Aleksandr Gorchilin
    Aleksandr Gorchilin
    • Grigoriy Zaytsevas Grigoriy Zaytsev
    Aleksandra Revenko
    Aleksandra Revenko
    • Lidiya Tkachevaas Lidiya Tkacheva
    Anton Vasilev
    Anton Vasilev
    • Oleg Ivanovich Selnenkoas Oleg Ivanovich Selnenko
    Svetlana Bragarnik
    Svetlana Bragarnik
    • Lyudmila Stukalinaas Lyudmila Stukalina
    Nikolay Roshchin
    • Otets Vsevolodas Otets Vsevolod
    Irina Rudniktskaya
    • Irina Petrovnaas Irina Petrovna
    • Director
      • Kirill Serebrennikov
    • Writers
      • Kirill Serebrennikov
      • Marius von Mayenburg(play "Martyr")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    After Venya's mother receives a call from school reporting her son's refusal to participate in mixed swimming lessons, she first suspects her teenager of being shy and derides his claim that it is "against his religion." As Venya is finally exempted by the school's devout principal, he grows confident that his strict and rigorous study of the Bible gives him the ability to manipulate all forms of authority. Challenged by a teacher who refuses to consent to his dogma, he sets out to eliminate her and subdue an entire community. At a time when arguments over the teaching of religion in public schools are prominent in the media, this wildly escalating classroom drama - based on a play by German playwright Marius von Mayenburg - serves as a frightening cautionary tale. —Under The Milky Way
    • bare breasts
    • kiss
    • male rear nudity
    • female full frontal nudity
    • female nudity
    • 128 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The hypocrisy of religion and society that challenges all of us.
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Unrated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The original Russian title "(M)uchenik", with the 'm' in parentheses, is a play on words, a pun, combining the Russian word "muchenik", which means "martyr", with the Russian word "uchenik", which means "student". Because the Russian pun would not be understood, and there is no way to translate it, the simplified title "Uchenik", or "The Student", was used at the Cannes Film Festival 2016.
    • Quotes

      Veniamin Yuzhin: God has a beautiful plan for you. Remember that.

    • Connections
      Featured in Evening Urgant: Viktoriya Isakova/Polina (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      God Is God
      Performed by Laibach

    User reviews20

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Right Question, Wrong Answer
    Nowadays Russian cinema is more political than ever. And its political word is not shy, it frankly declares war against either bureaucratic or societal corruption (or both), as we can see in Leviathan, Durak, and this film. But the most dangerous enemy in this war, is the scope of the enemy. If you define the whole corrupt society as something to destroy, who will be your allies in this war? No one, for sure. You're as lonely as Don Quixote in his delusions.

    Actually, the idea of "the Holy Bible in a human's body" as a character is striking, strengthened by the undeniable references. The viewers are forced to observe how religious fundamentalism can threaten the society, especially when the people around cannot see the big picture, cannot imagine what will come next and feed the beast naively as if donating to the church.

    But as I mentioned above, despite the power of its criticism this movie too is unfortunately flawed with the problem of being incapable of providing solution, like similar others. The film rightfully asks: "This religious fundamentalism is poisoning us! What is the antidote to it?" But the answer is perfectly oxymoronical: "We need idealist individuals, but hopeless at the same time due to their loneliness..."

    So, according to me it's clear that these "pessimist-idealist" characters represent the directors themselves. They can foresee what's coming, they want to do something, but when they look around they realize that they don't have anyone to cooperate with. So, disappointed with this loneliness, they get critical of the society much more than the problems the society is experiencing. So, contradictorily, what we as the viewers have in the end is not a motivation for action, but a reflection of the pessimism of the director dictating us to sit and smile cynically at the inevitable self-destruction of the society.
    helpful•43
    33
    • sakarkral
    • Oct 13, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 21, 2017 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Russia
    • Language
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • 特殊教育
    • Production company
      • Hype Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,126
    • Gross worldwide
      • $318,123
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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