FULL MOON (Russian, in Russian with subtitles)
A review by Mark R. Leeper in bullet-list form
from the Toronto Internation Film Festival
CAPSULE: This is a story-less film told in a series of vignettes. Each vignette is linked to the next as a background character becomes the main character of the next. Diverting though very little more than the sum of its parts in spite of some repeated themes. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), 1 (-4 to +4)
- Probably most notable for the many points of view as the film progresses. - Directed by Karen Shakhnazarov. - I first saw this style of story-telling, or lack thereof, as a joke on MONTY PYTHON though the subsequent film SLACKER also used the technique. The camera follows one character, jumps to a passerby, then follows him. When it is all over you have a mosaic of life, but do not know any of the characters particularly well. - We see life in modern Russia and a little bit of history, though we do not actually learn very much. - There are some repeated themes. A high proportion of the men seem to ogle women. There are repeated references to Mongolia and to Genghis Khan. Three different characters were affected by a scene in a restaurant in 1948. - At least twice there is sudden and unexpected violence. - Much of this film seems to take place almost in real time, but there are continuity errors. We go from evening to the middle of the day. A sunny day is suddenly dismal. - There are some well-known Russian actors, but none is on the screen very long. - There is a central mystery about a scene in a restaurant, but we never have even the simplest part of it answered. - The most enjoyable vignette puts us in the mind of a dog. - There is a minor piece about Pushkin stopping in Mongolia on his way to fight the Turks. - There are a few dream sequences, though none of any great fantasy value. - Winner of several international cinema prizes but not likely to be seen on the art-house circuit in the US.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1998 Mark R. Leeper
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