Siberia and Him *** (2019, Ilya Shubochkin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, Anastasia Voskresenskaya) – Classic Movie Review 12,958

Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy’s 2019 Russian-language gay-themed doomed love affair film Siberia and Him could hardly be bleaker or more austere. But it’s quite intense and very well made and beautifully shot.

Two men – Viatcheslav Kopturevsky as farm-hand Sasha, Ilya Shubochkin as policeman Dima – fall in love in a remote run-down town of Siberia, Russia. Sasha is involved with his brother-in-law Dima, in an obviously secret relationship.

Sasha needs to contact his living-alone grandmother in a far-off village, and Dima accompanies him on a days-long trek to see she’s OK.

[Spoiler alert] It doesn’t go well. You wouldn’t expect it to with Siberia in the title.

The film is written, directed, edited, produced by and stars Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy in his feature-length film debut. That’s quite an astonishing tour-de-force and an obvious, deeply committed labour of love.

Writer/ director Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy’s 2019 Russian-language gay-themed doomed love affair film Siberia and Him could hardly be bleaker or more austere. It’s quite intense and very well made and shot, with huge close-ups contrasting with distant vistas of beautiful countryside. But it is a totally wrist-slashing experience to sit through. We’re on the road to nowhere what with a socially taboo relationship, a queer-unfriendly society, internal homophobia, gay repression, attempted suicide, murder and actual suicide.

What’s the point of the naturalistic cinematography capturing the beautiful Siberian countryside? Are we contrasting nature with the terrible mess humans are making of their lives?

It is kind of admirable in its way, but its short running time of 77 minutes seems like an eternity. I’d say turn off the sound and just watch the images, but then there is very little dialogue anyway. It could easily be a silent movie.

The cast are Viatcheslav Kopturevsky as Sasha, Ilya Shubochkin as Dima, Anastasia Voskresenskaya as Anna, and Irina Novokreshennuh as Mother.

Director: Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy.

Writer: Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy.

Stars: Ilya Shubochkin, Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy, Anastasia Voskresenskaya.

It premiered at the 2019 NewFest New York LGBT film festival on October 27, 2019 and was released on October 27, 2019 in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,958

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