Country of the Deaf (1998) User Reviews

one of a few good films made in Russia in the last decade

[meshko · 8/10 · 17 July 2000]

It's a good movie. As almost all the modern Russian movies it has a significant Hollywood feel to it, but all in all it's in the good old tradition. The acting is good (almost always), the plot is simple and effective. Quite a few scenes are done really good. In a sense it combines the depth of European (Russian) movies with power and speed of Hollywood. For example compare the scene of break up of Lesha and Rita with the drugs deal in the airport which is made in the best traditions of Tarantino. All in all good movie worth watching.

A film to think about...

[olia1 · 8/10 · 15 February 2001]

A film for the people who can take their time to think about it. All the problems revealed in it are typical not for the "external" life of the country, but for the people's minds. That's why it seems to be a bit "grotesque" and "uninteresting".

Beautiful and sad, very artistic parable

[Seefril · 9/10 · 10 June 2000]

I'm not a big fan of contemporary Russian cinema, but this time it surprised me a lot. This is a movie of totally different kind: smart, precise and artistic. It is not about contemporary Russian life (although the sense of `different life' is everywhere in this move). And it's not about criminals: like in `Hana-bi' and `Sonatine' of Takeshi Kitano, crime is only a symbol. The story is not realistic too. It is done as a deep parable, instead.

The feeling of a `deaf world' is totally believable. The directing is great. The performances are outstanding. Praise to the new Russian cinema, complex and sincere.

More than just a criminal drama

[RomyNL · 9/10 · 8 May 2001]

This film proved to me that the fashion for Iranian and Chinese movies will be replaced by growing interest towards Russian cinematography quite soon. Strana Glukhikh is such a pure and sincere description of a modern Russian life, that you do not even notice some slow-down's in the movie's plot in the middle. Dina Korzun is just fantastic. Watch her on the covers of magazines in couple years! Chulpan Khamatova is reserved but very exact in her acting. But the highlight of the movie is a soundtrack. I did not hear such a life-confirming music for quite a long time. Indeed, this is not a criminal drama as some can think. It is a touching story of people fighting for their happiness told in very warm and sincere words.

Trio Hamatova-Korzun-Sukhanov at its best.

[drondt · 10/10 · 16 January 2002]

"Country of the Deaf" is one of the best Russian movies of 90's. Also it is a rare example of the movie dedicated to the discovery of the subculture of deaf people in modern Russian society.

Valery Todorovsky has created tense, fast, sometimes violent movie with deep characters. It is not only about loneliness, love and hate of deaf people. It is about all of us - about the post-soviet generation.

And of course, Chulpan Hamatova, Dina Korzun and Maksim Sukhanov are great (as usually) - Russian actor's school continues to be one of the major ones in the world.

Molodtsi!

[viajera · 9/10 · 21 September 2007]

This movie is wonderful if you consider yourself a 'beginner' at Russian culture. It's very organic and flows wonderfully from scene to scene. It doesn't feel like a crime drama, it feels much more light-hearted with certain rebellious qualities, as if to say, 'Yeah, the Mafia is in this movie, but who says I have to slaughter twelve guys as messily as possible?" It's a breath of fresh air. A great deal of the action is conveyed purely through body language, which is especially poignant in a movie about deaf people - try watching it with the subtitles off, you'll see what I mean. One unforeseen benefit this movie offers is to beginning students of the Russian language. It is great because most if not all of the people in the movie speak very loudly and slowly as they are signers speaking in Russian, or at least portraying them.

Excellent movie

[aozyaman · 9/10 · 24 July 2006]

This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Acting, particularly by Dina Korzun, is incredibly strong and vivid. Also,Chulpan Hamatova was an excellent pick for the Rita part. She's natural, yet at times IMO, fails to match Korzun. The scene, where Rita tries to comfort Yaya after the dreadful experience and Yaya first mentions the Strana Gluhih and describes it to her, was the best IMO. Overall, plot is not quite thorough yet catchy. It provides an interesting perspective to lives of Muscovites during the transition from USSR to Russia. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who's fed up with the crap that keeps coming out of Hollywood persistently for quite some years now. I just wish I'd seen this movie earlier. Two thumbs up.

beautiful

[Vincentiu · 31 March 2014]

not in common rules limits. but interesting metaphor about escape, friendship, need of certitude and illusion and search to discover yourself in the other. far to be perfect, with too large slice of contemporary Russian reality, it remains beautiful first for two virtues - the performance of Dina Korzun and Chiulpan Kamatova and the end. a film about two women and their choices. that is all. a kind of parable. or only a film about importance of small things. many unrealistic scenes. but the science of actresses to give inspired solutions really works. a movie who can be good occasion to reflection. about the tools to create a decent drama with influences of Russian theater, to discover image from East in a cruel manner, to remember the fascination of great Soviet movies.

Dreadful, a waste of celluloid

[braque · 1/10 · 12 September 1999]

This is exactly the kind of film that is being made in the crime-infested present day Russia. The dialog is so primitive as if it was written by semi-literate people, the acting is uniformly awful and grotesque. The whole allegory about the land of the deaf is laughable. The characters are so annoying you wish them all dead as soon as possible. What a terrible waste of celluloid.

the poetry

[Kirpianuscus · 8 June 2017]

the poetry of this beautiful film remains the most important fact after its final credits. like a form of flavor. like an old fashion Russian drama. the second - the inspired performances of the lead actresses. and the slices of contemporary Russia discovered from perfect angle. a story from the East. like many others. maybe, to theatrical. but useful eulogy of small things who defines use. like friendship and hope and help. like the words as bridges. like the choice who must be for define the truth. a beautiful film. or a touching one. and the frame for delicate memories.

An eye-opener

[leon-rozanov · 9/10 · 13 January 2019]

The movie is set in Moscow in the 80'. It was directed at the end of the Soviet times, and has a modern character, but not yet as depressive as many later Russian productions. The movie shows a story of Rita, a young girl with an angel-like personality, who tries to help her boyfriend to settle his debts with local mafia. Rita encounters Yaya, a deaf girl who lives as an outcast. They team up in their efforts to earn a big sum of money, although this is driven by different motivations. The story line is simple and has a clear point, action flows fast, and it is mostly logical. Mafia/action scenes are balanced, well directed, and they don't cause unnecessary distraction - after all it is not a crime drama but a philosophical story. The actors played their demanding roles very well, creating convincing characters of deaf people (personally, I haven't met any, so I can't say if the representation is realistic, but anyway the story is a parable). The speech of the deaf sounds a bit weird and comic, their behaviour looks silly, and overall the characters seem somewhat retarded. It is tempting to judge their actions according to 'our normal' standards, but as we watch the story we come to the realisation that if we take the effort to see the world through their eyes, it will enrich our own perspective, but this value can only be achieved if we manage to get out of the box. All in all, I was impressed by the uniqueness of this movie. Do watch it if you like non typical characters, rich content, and yet captivating story line.

Look a little deeper...

[selenia18 · 27 April 2001]

This film is more than it appears at first glance. Various themes are weaved together to produce a beautiful picture of the relationship between the two leading female characters. The criminal sphere in Moscow is only fraction of the movie and anyone who enjoys a good intellectual drama will find Todorovsky's adaptation of Renata Litvinova's "To Have and To Belong" an absorbing find.