This is How Movies Should Be Made

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It is hard to describe this film. A challenging film to make as well. Not like an expensive film with huge cast and graphics. It's a simple drama, a drama that draws a line between two different theories the humans have adapted and followed in the present world. So when a film drags religious as its prime topic, most of those kind of films never received well in the past, says the history. I don't know this film met with any kind of controversy, but all I know is it brought in a wrong religion to tell the story.I'm not against such kind of concept. But this film was one of those annoying one. It's neither preaching religious nor against. That does not mean a well balanced narration. No, it's not. If you are a believer, you might think it is making some false claims. If you are a nonbeliever, that's a test for your temper. There are many scenes where it could have taken a turn like a normal clichéd film does, but it did not go those ways. Just headed randomly, dragged the runtime of the film to nearly two hours.The story follows the high school boy Venya, who recently have started to read the Bible. Living with his mother, they have never into the religious stuff. Now he thinks he found his belief, but that does not it, he begins to impact everyone, everything around him. Because of him the school loses its privileges in many sectors. Suddenly he becomes a villain to many eyes, but there's one big backing for him all the way. Then the rivalry between him and the biology teacher heats up. How far it goes and how it all ends told in the remaining parts.❝I wish he collected stamps or jerked off all the time.❞Venya's belief in the 2000 year old book reminded me a real person in my life. He almost trusts everything he reads from the books, which were printed decades ago. The science is updated every day. When a book got printed and in the meantime to reach the people, a new theories have already been proved. That's what I argue with him all the time that he's late and learnt old ones. Two millenniums ago, there was no democracy. This religious book made people to follow uniform rules around the world. Now the time is different, where these old texts do not make logic, excluding the moral values it teaches us. So, like saying, don't believe in everything you read is perfectly aplpies here.The film was adapted from a German play. The entire film shot in a month of time. Most of the cast were first time in front of the camera. There's no complaint about the filmmaking. From cinematography to acting, dialogues, direction, music, all were top class. But you know, the story had not compromised in any one particular path among the two topics it dealt with. Like it keeps poking in the viewer's eyes by not giving what they want. That makes it a one time watchable film. Because, for such storyline and its such ending, who would go back for a second view.I have waited till the final for some real twist in the tale! It did come, but totally disappointed the way it went on to conclude. But there were a few sub-topics like gay, (school) politics et cetera. Remember, it is a Russian film where the filmmakers have so many restrictions to use the contents. So I understand the way the film had been made. Even though, just an above average film in my opinion. Definitely it is not a bad film. You could like it better than me, but I'm not sure of that. At least it was unique, and what most of the modern Russian films dared to expose the social issues the nation is facing. I won't favour it, but you should not ignore it too. Do some research on it and decide yourself to try it.6/10

like many Russian contemporary films, it seems be portrait of near reality from East. in fact, it is a puzzle of questions. about school and about teenager crisis, about the use of religion and the answer of Church, about friendship and fear and teachers, about situation of a student as personal struggle for a woman looking defining his life direction. it could be perceived as attack against Chistianity, as satire or as precise reflection of the state of school. but, more important, it has two virtues - the performances - especially the performance of the lead actor and the status of support for reflection about near every day reality. because it gives nothing new. well known facts, the crisis of a teenager, empty head teachers, a revolutionary Biology teacher, her boy friend, a young student looking for love. each as part of a lucid and admirable interrogation. so, an admirable work.

This is the main idea of this film, which is a parable and a satire at the same time. The main character is a text-book case of a psychotic person, with all relevant schizophrenia symptoms (visual hallucinations, illusion of grandeur, paranoid ideas). Many of the scenes actually describe psychotic crises (getting undressed, wearing the ape costume, carrying the cross, abusing his friend, killing him etc.). So this is actually simple to understand. But the movie goes beyond that. The parable aspect of the film is that no one (neither the biology teacher) understands the madness of this character, and treat him like a normal person (or at least in acceptable terms). They all come into argument with him, support or contradict his delirious ideas, and finally tolerate his fundamentalist way of thinking (which is the product of mental disease). Of course the situation is not realistic; in the normal world, the person would be immediately taken to a hospital. But the point that the director is trying to make is that fundamentalist ideas are a delirium that is contagious, that other people tend to lose their critical thinking, that science can not withstand the attack of religious ideas and that normal people can actually become victims when the liberal values are dismissed. A beautiful, heart-breaking movie about how society's values can be lost, along with sanity, love and respect to each other.

"The Student" – "(M)uchenik" directed by Kirill Serebrennikov is an attempt to reconsider religious fanaticism in the modern world. The picture is based on the play "Martyr" by German author Marius von Mayenburg and it was adapted to the reality of modern Russia.In a way the problems touched upon in the film are universal and not connected to one particular religion. An interesting aspect of the film is the constant quoting of the Bible which shows that any religion can become an instrument of aggression. The picture is a sharp and humorous satire. The teachers in the film are very well depicted, they whose heads are full of self contradictory ideas combining Stalinism, Putinism, Communism, Liberalism and religion. The school administration cannot confront a religious fanatic because they themselves do not have any ideas or principles.When the biology teacher tries to confront Veniamin, she also looks into the Bible, which she interprets in a vulgar and primitive way. The relations between Veniamin and Grigori are interesting; he becomes very close to Veniamin but we see later that Grigori is gay which is the real reason why he becomes his disciple.The film is shot in a minimalistic way in this low-budget production, but the actors play well and the dialogues are very funny. The ideas of the picture are important, the film has an open end just as our society has an uncertain future with growing extremism and radicalism.