![]() If they stray too far from their primary function, they must have water or they start dissolving. Chosen ones are called Functionaries and while they have seemingly limitless power and benefit, it comes with the price of being a petty bureaucrat with some essential function. How is that done in the movie? Through water. In a funny way, the movie kind of resembles another fantasy movie about the wonderful benefits of being "inside" when one is outside: "El Norte." When one is "chosen" (Not in the Chaim Potok way.) all things are possible but these benefits come with a price: The system must be sustained or it will perish. It is simply a gigantic metaphor for life inside the PARTY and outside viewed from someone who has never been inside. It is a complete and total condemnation of Soviet (or any form) of Socialism (Communism). "Chernovik" is the same in current cinematic form. It was disguised to be acceptable but it was there. ![]() ![]() Back in the good old days of the Soviet Empire, artists could only show dissent through their art. Watch the movie first if you don't want to be sullied by another's opinion. This has at least inspired me to find the books and have a read. Scenes with Kirill and Kotya seemed natural. There were a couple of neat little action scenes, some special effects and glimpses of other worlds. Emotion is not always relayed and it takes away from the actors' intention. There was a part in the beginning where an actor is speaking and you only hear Kirill reply. Since this was an English dubbed film I must say the voice actors were mediocre. Although there were a few touching moments they weren't long enough to let you care. The romance between Kirill and Anna had no depth or resolution. It would have done well to expand some parts of the storyline. There was so much touched upon and and crammed into this movie. Soon he finds that no one remembers him- Not even the government! He discovers he has been chosen to be a customs agent, a person who can open doors to other worlds. I like the story- Kirill (Nikita Volkov) returns home after a work celebration to find someone else living in his apartment. Plot holes abound and even the Matryoshka Daleks can't stop the feeling that someone really slacked in the end there. It's like different people made the first and the second halves of the story. However, the film starts great and ends in a weird chaotic mess. Bottom line: some serious irony there to name your book Rough Draft and a major achievement to be made into a movie. Maybe it's better to wait for a Chistovik movie and watch them back to back. The story is also open ended, as Cernovik is just the first of a series of books by author Sergei Lukyanenko, same guy who wrote Night Watch and Day Watch, which also got made into high profile Russian movies. So much so that in the end, when he achieves what he had been brought to do in the first place, everything literally crumbles to dust because of this artificial conflict and drama. Yet by the time we learn of this, the story focuses almost exclusively on his obsession with his former girlfriend and the inane steps the organization he works for takes in order to stop that from developing. His job is not only the menial checking and allowing traveler access, but also opening doors to new worlds. Why? So that he is made a border guard between worlds. The story revolves around a guy who is practically removed from this life, with people who knew him forgetting him and any proof he ever existed updated. So many great Russian sci-fi writers and so few movies to bring them justice. It's a step up from what I was expecting, though, and I hope the Russian movie industry improves and starts bringing to the public all that rich Slav storytelling that I grew up with. However, even if it seems the production values are high, the script and the acting leave a lot to be desired. ![]() I was pleasantly surprised to watch something that felt different than the usual American movies I watch and that had an original idea. ![]() I would have never even heard of this film (or the book it was inspired of) if not for HBO Go, so thanks for that. ![]()
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