Whether to love or not Anna Melikyan's film 'The Fairy' with Konstantin Khabensky is for you to decide, but it is definitely worth watching.

The last high-profile premiere of April and, concurrently, the first major Russian project to be released directly online was the film 'The Fairy' by Anna Melikyan, starring Konstantin Khabensky as a sort of Russian Kojima (a genius, indeed).

This film became the finishing touch in the unofficial trilogy of one of the most talented directors in modern Russia. And, as befits a serious auteur project, 'The Fairy' turned out to be an ambiguous film that divides viewers and critics into two opposing camps, but leaves no one indifferent.

A Fairy Tale in Urban Settings

At the center of Melikyan's plot are two main characters at once — the brilliant and egocentric Evgeny Voigin (Konstantin Khabensky), head of a company developing virtual reality games, and the headstrong activist Tanya (Ekaterina Ageeva). In the best traditions of 'The Mermaid' and 'The Star', the girl is a bit out of this world, believes in miracles and her own uniqueness, which can help her reach the cynical game designer who, by chance, invites her to participate in a new project.

Parallel to the quirky story of a relationship between people from different worlds, a brutal series of crimes is committed by a neo-Nazi group inspired by Voigin's games from the 'Kolovrat' series.

In what happens on screen, we can easily recognize the reality around us: performances by FEMEN activists, deputies threatening sanctions against games that incite violence, and Muscovites not particularly welcoming to 'outsiders' and other non-traditional segments of the population.

At the same time, Melikyan fills the urban world with magic, fairy-tale wonder, and belief in miracles. Here, Ageeva's character tries to convince Voigin that he is the reincarnation of the great artist Andrei Rublev; in another episode, Khabensky's character's daughter has a powerful therapeutic effect on her father; and a member of the criminal gang realizes that video games are cooler than real violence. The author seems to leave a loophole for people, because when there is something to believe in, life is somehow easier and more pleasant.

A Multi-Layered Story

In 'The Fairy', Melikyan did not shy away from tackling many acute topics, which are intricately woven into a single story reminiscent of languid literary novels. She looks behind the facade of activists living for protests, who may not even understand why they do it. The director examines issues of Russian clergy and heritage through the lens of modern attitudes toward them. She does not try to explain, but ponders the nature of violence generated by national self-identification.

Many of the presented parallels are somewhat reminiscent of the reflections of Brady Corbet in 'Vox Lux', which expressed the idea that terrorism and show business are roughly comparable phenomena in terms of their influence on society. However, Melikyan expresses her thoughts a bit more elegantly and expansively, giving the viewer space to form their own ideas.

This also contains one of the film's problems. Many viewers will not want to dig into what they see, search for hidden meanings, or interpret the expressed thoughts. For some, everything shown on screen may seem like kitsch or a mundane mishmash of trendy societal topics. Moreover, the indecently stretched runtime of 2.5 hours does not speak in the film's favor. And there are two ways out — either you accept the rules of the game and allow Melikyan to draw you into her universe, or you simply refuse this endeavor.

Artistic Diversity

'The Fairy' can boast not only a powerful acting performance by Konstantin Khabensky, who got to showcase his boundless talents in the role of a true anti-hero, but also a variety of artistic techniques. The film's cinematographer, Andrey Maika, deftly maneuvers between episodes from a computer game and the transfer of gaming experience into reality (first-person scenes in the style of FPS), alternating static shots with subjective camera filming.

Visually, the film cannot be called outstanding or innovative, but the 'picture' here works very effectively for the narrative. With its help, the eccentric trip of the hero Voigin through the corners of his genius and his attempts at self-determination look lively and inspiring.

Should You Watch the Film 'The Fairy'?

Anna Melikyan has worthily completed her trilogy about tender hearts in conditions of urban ruthlessness, symbolically uniting all three heroines on screen (besides Ageeva, these are Maria Shalaeva from 'The Mermaid' and Tinatin Dalakishvili from 'The Star') and creating the most ambitious film of her career. It turned out imperfect and at times difficult to perceive, but it definitely has a soul and a big heart, like the fairy Tanya, so it deserves your attention and a chance to be seen and heard.

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