Vladivostok

This film appeared on my YouTube screen for some reason. I watch Russian films every now and then, even though I don't speak Russian. But if the film has English subtitles, I'll have a look at it and see how it goes. The picture quality was excellent, the sound quality was great, it was modern, and there were proper subtitles for the film. I definitely enjoyed this film and found it to be very entertaining. It is sort of a love story combined with tragic circumstances. The main actor flees the army because he thinks he killed an officer by accident there, and now he is on the run. The sting in the tail was excellent also! 👍😉

I would like to lay a bet that the director of this film had Godard's ' Breathless ' on his mind when he made it. First I must say that from the first striking images of a fast train I was gripped. Visually this is a very beautiful piece of cinema, and it is set in Vladivostok which is certainly a first to me. The details of the city come to life immediately with its very rich gangsters, and its doss houses for the down and out. Set in the year before its release it is immediately a film of this new decade, and references of borders being closed makes for a claustrophobic atmosphere despite the vast bridge and open spaces of the city. The story is of a young man who says he has accidentally shot someone and he is on the run. Andrey Gryzlov as the young man Viktor acts superbly, and he is desperate to get out of the country and in need of a false passport. Enter Nika played equally well by Anastasia Talyzina ( looking very much like Jean Seberg ) and a frantic romance begins. She is involved with a rich gangster and offers to help Viktor and then another accidental death occurs. End of spoilers. The film is fatalistic and very brutal in several scenes but my attention was held until the enigmatic ending. Basically the question is implied, what do we really know of anybody and their truths or their lies ? Existential to the end it seemed also very aware of its ( perhaps ) French philosophy and this self-consciousness sometimes jarred. A not perfect film but a very good one. To be seen if possible. After all how many people ever go or have visited Vladivostok ?

Highly recommend to watch. It popped up on my YouTube screen and I didn't know what it was about. I usually give such situations 5 to10 minutes to see whether it catches my interest. It indeed made me stay to watch the entire movie. It's a rather convoluted plot but there's no confusion as you follow through. The setting, mood, pace, scenes and perfect sub-titles Carrie's the entire movie very well. Nothing is obvious and that makes it perfect. I can safely say it's better than many of the Hollywood productions nowadays. It's a really high quality movie. Despite being very convoluted, it's quite believable.