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Stars: Alexandra Drozdova, Alexander Molochnikov, Anna Slyu, Oksana Akinshina, Kuzma Kotrelev, Miroslav Pentsov, Anastasia Kuimova, Oleg Vasilkov, Valery Kukhareshin | Written by Evgeny Kolyadintsev | Directed by Pavel Sidorov

Following the death of her brother under mysterious circumstances, and haunted by a series of disturbing dreams, a young woman is persuaded to take part in an experiment at the institute of somnology, where she and 3 other patients are immersed in a joint lucid dream. But after dawn, they wake up in a completely different reality, which is worse than any nightmare…

The first thing that strikes you about Quiet Comes the Dawn are the visuals. Visually stunning, the film, at times, looks like a Cronenberg movie – there are stark hospital visuals a la Dead Ringers and Rabid and the concrete building that houses the sleep institute resembles the setting of Shivers. But that’s not all, the eerie scenes set in Sveta...

Karlovy Vary – Films depicting the political and societal corruption in modern day Russian have become almost commonplace this decade. It’s almost rare to find a major filmmaker not commenting on it in some aspect. Even Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been under house arrest since October, found a way to comment in his 80’s period piece “Leto,” which debuted at Cannes in May. Now, Ivan I. Tverdovsky, who had a strong sophomore effort with the subversive “Zoology” two years ago, returns with perhaps the most blatant example of everyday Russian corruption yet, “Jumpman.”

Read More: ‘Zoology’ is much more than the ‘Woman with a Tail’ movie [Review]

The winner of a special Jury Mention at the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, “Jumpman” begins with a young Oksana dropping her baby off at a boy’s orphanage, seemingly unable to raise him on her own.

Continue reading ‘Jumpman’ Wants To Chronicle Everyday...

To christen the main character in Russian director Ivan I. Tverdovsky’s third feature “Jumpman” is to suggest that 16-year-old Denis (lanky newcomer Denis Vlasenko) is some kind of superhero. Granted, he is “gifted” with congenital analgesia — a rare condition in which he feels no pain — but instead of using that power for good, this scrappy would-be X-Man might as well be just another rule-breaking hooligan, as compromised as the country that spawned him. The kid’s scheme involves throwing himself in front of rich people’s cars, then extorting the drivers for hasty payouts. To make the situation even more antiheroic, the person who may as well be pushing him into harm’s way is none other than his own mother.

Like last year’s “Loveless,” Tverdovsky’s tight, ultra-cynical contemporary Russian fable serves up an alarming portrait of negligent parenting on its surface, while sneaking a damning indictment...

"Do you really feel no pain?" This looks like a must see. An official trailer has debuted for an indie film from Russia titled Jumpman, which is the third film from Russian filmmaker Ivan I. Tverdovskiy (Corrections Class and Zoology). Jumpman stars Denis Vlasenko as Dennis, a boy who grew up in an orphanage and has a very rare illness - he is immune to pain. This makes him popular among other boys, who take bets on how long he can endure cruel physical games. One day his mother returns and takes him in, forcing him to become a "jumpman" - someone who jumps in front of cars to blackmail the drivers for money. "Reunited with his mother, Dennis' feels that this new life is a dream come true until one day... he starts feeling pain again." The cast includes Anna Slyu, Danil Steklov, Pavel Chinarev, and Vilma Kutavičiútë. This...

Natalia Meshchaninova's Serdtse mira (Heart of the World) collected the best film prize at Russia’s main national film festival Kinotavr, which drew to a close Sunday in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.

The drama, which centers on a veterinarian working at a remote training station for hunting dogs, was also awarded the film critics' guild prize, and its male lead Stepan Devonin received the best actor prize.

Grigory Konstantinopolsky picked up the best director's award for Russky bes (Russian Demon).

Anna Slyu was tapped as best actress for her role in Ivan I. Tverdovskiy's Podbrosy (Jumpman), while ...

Natalia Meshchaninova's Serdtse mira (Heart of the World) collected the best film prize at Russia’s main national film festival Kinotavr, which drew to a close Sunday in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.

The drama, which centers on a veterinarian working at a remote training station for hunting dogs, was also awarded the film critics' guild prize, and its male lead Stepan Devonin received the best actor prize.

Grigory Konstantinopolsky picked up the best director's award for Russky bes (Russian Demon).

Anna Slyu was tapped as best actress for her role in Ivan I. Tverdovskiy's Podbrosy (Jumpman), while ...