Glubzhe!

Summary

Original Russian satirical comedy, without fanfare, that brings the intellectual honesty of a Russian theater director and the transforming power of art to the realm of the unexpected and the absurd, providing hilarious moments while simultaneously entering the field of the disturbing.

Review

Roman is a young and rigorous theater director who works for the main Russian official theater. There comes a time when he finds an unexpected job opening in the porn industry.

The obvious title in Spanish alludes to the concept of psychological depth in the construction of characters. And Mikhail Segal's film is a satire about the depth of the Russian soul and the acting methods of one of his theater schools; and how this can be reinterpreted and used transposed to other unexpected situations for the protagonist and the viewer.

The film focuses on the coherence of Roman with his principles and his artistic training despite the changes of scenery, which produces very funny situations, although with the absurdity the film goes into disturbing paths. In other words, a film that addresses nothing less than the intellectual honesty of an artist and the transformative power of art.

This is an original comedy that never falls into stridency, that boasts great timing, where the performance of a notable Aleksandr Pal stands out as the imperturbable and tenacious Roman and that brings us an epiphanic ending.

This film is rather non-standard. Hope it will be translated in the other languages except Russian. I don't want to include spoilers, but the film is in a way unique in how it portrays the current political situation.

I just wasted 2 hours of my life for this boring film

Much like the acclaimed work of the film's protagonists, Glubzhe! is both shallow and nuanced, crude and yet surprisingly witty.

Some shots are exceedingly length and a few actors left more to be desired in their acting. Lapenko's appearance was a welcome delight and was, truth be told, one of the reasons I decided to watch.

Despite what I've already said and the 6 star rating hanging over these words, I still think that more films like this should exist, and I think that, ultimately, this is a good film.

Although 'out-loud' laughs are often sparse, there are many subtly humorous situations. Moreover, a great deal of the allusions and subject matter surround Russia's identity -

Chekov, the Imperial era, classical theatre - these are all brushed aside. Tostoi's portrait hangs in the protagonist's dingy, dilapidated apartment. Meanwhile, modern, sleek, and wealthy Russia is portrayed as dim-witted men in suits and porn-obsessed masses...

By my description, it's a little on the nose - and a lot of this film is just that. But at the same time, there was a strange kinship that I felt while watching this movie, that is was made by a group of people who care for the fate of their country.

For a film about porn and corruption, the overall message of this film is a positive one that leaves one with a warm feeling, deep inside.