The film 'The Man from Podolsk,' based on the eponymous play by Dmitry Danilov, balances on the fine line between absurdist comedy, sharp social commentary, and existential drama. Read our review to find out why you should see this film in theaters a...

On November 26, the debut directorial work of Semyon Serzin, 'The Man from Podolsk', hits the big screens. The adaptation of the popular theatrical play by Dmitry Danilov turned out to be ambitious, bold, moderately witty, and surprisingly suitable for translation into the language of cinema.

All Podolsk People Are Stupid

A young guy named Kolya (Vadik Korolev from the musical group OQJAV) wants to return from work in Moscow to Podolsk, but the routine process of going home is interrupted by two events at once: halfway there, his girlfriend dumps him, and then the police, for no apparent reason, take him to the station.

Instead of explaining why Nikolai ended up detained, the law enforcement representatives start asking him vague questions about Podolsk, the city's history, its population, and when they don't get clear answers, they bluntly state, 'All Podolsk people are stupid.' At this moment, the audience, like Kolya himself, realizes that the hero is in for some not-so-obvious and legal procedures.

Irrationality and Russian Melancholy

Almost immediately, a real theater of the absurd with elements reminiscent of Franz Kafka's work begins to unfold on screen: the police teach Kolya a dance for brain development and help him learn a wordless song, the hero is taken to a strange laboratory and subjected to experiments, they treat him to cucumbers from their own greenhouse, and one of the rooms of the so-called police station turns out to be a pool, where the hero is to bare not only his body but also his soul.

Nevertheless, behind all this farce and symbolism in the film 'The Man from Podolsk,' a classic hopeless Russian melancholy peeks through. Kolya is one of those residents of Russia for whom their own city is just a backdrop to a dreary life, while distant Amsterdam is the ultimate dream. He doesn't know how to love, doesn't enjoy his work, doesn't consider it possible to take joy in small things, and blames the surrounding reality for everything. And all the teeth-grinding psychoanalysis with unexpected VHS flashbacks to childhood is unlikely to change a hero who has long since come to terms with everything.

And Who Are the Judges?

Semyon Serzin's film 'The Man from Podolsk' can be viewed from many different angles. So, besides the fear of being left alone with oneself, it also reflects on another phobia popular in our parts—the fear of encountering law enforcement officers.

Danilov and Serzin portray the police as characters far from reality and in many ways even caricatured, who, however, can easily instill fear without even resorting to their batons.

All the more amusing and interesting is the idea that the police here are merely observers, but by no means Kolya's judges. They in no way try to take away the guy's legitimate 'right to be an asshole,' because that is his conscious choice. But whether the audience will be those very judges is an open question.

'The Man from Podolsk' is in all cinemas nationwide from November 26.

Trailer:

We express our gratitude to the company Provzglyad for the opportunity to see the film and for supporting excellent original domestic cinema.