Okraina (1998) User Reviews

Great style, good dark / ironic comedy

[shleepy87 · 9/10 · 12 September 2008]

First of all, I'll completely disagree with at least one of the comments that say that it's not a dark comedy. It most certainly is. This particular aspect comes from all the (largely off-screen or implied) violence, which is ALWAYS intended to be funny.

I will agree with all of the comments saying that non-Russians will not get it. It's true. In fact, the subtitles are quite bad... They really miss a lot of the meaning. More importantly, there is so much irony and there are so many references to Russian/Soviet culture that even the more ardent non-Eastern-European Russophile will miss a lot of what makes the movie so great.

On to the actual film-making: On the outside, it might seem like a "heavy" movie that's not for the average person, but - as is the case with most dark comedies - it comes out very light in the end. The pace might be a little slow at times, but it seems like this aspect is one of the many instances of parodies of old Soviet movies. As other reviewers have mentioned, a LOT of the movie's style is very Soviet-like - dark lighting (it might seem noir, but I'd argue that it's just how Soviet films were made), simple editing, amazing deadpan acting.

Simply put, if you know Russian or Soviet culture and cinema culture well enough, this is a very interesting and original movie. Otherwise, I doubt that you'll appreciate it too much.

Slapstick in slow motion

[jp-powell · 8/10 · 8 December 2004]

Having read the few other comments i have clearly missed most of the Russian cultural significance and jokes in this film. However, as a new zealander who enjoys all kinds of film i saw this at one of our festivals and absolutely loved it.

as mentioned in the title, to a non Russian eye it moved like slapstick in slow motion. Plenty of accessible deadpan, morose humour was on show as well as some great backdrops and scenery.

i particularly enjoyed the long close-up shot/scene on the farm four wheel motorcycle thing. funny how such a pastoral setting can become so surreal.

towards the end it seemed to change gear and moved quite quickly to black comedy and on into b-grade style action - with an explosion and getaway worthy of ed wood. amongst all this is still managed to be quite gripping and had me keyed in wondering how their quest would turn out.

If you liked this film I would suggest seeing:

American Astronaut, The Beaver Trilogy

Definitely worth a look if you like something a bit different. Jacob.

Monument to Pyotr Lutsik

[Zhorzhik-Morzhik · 9/10 · 8 March 2020]

"The Outskirts" - a black and white multi-genre drama by Pyotr Lutsik according to the script of Aleksey Samoryadov. In this ingenious film, the authors have mixed so many genres of cinema that you wonder, this is a parable, a western, a road movie, and a retro film. 30s of the 19th century, the outskirts of Russia, a group of men not finding the truth at home, go to seek this truth in the capital, in Moscow. It is unfortunate that the fate of the authors of this masterpiece was so tragically, for various reasons early from the deceased.

beautiful

[kevinberclouw · 10/10 · 5 October 2007]

I thought this was a really beautiful movie. It is not the type of movie that can be a big commercial success, I don't think you have to be Russian to 'get it'. Actually in general I think it is wrong to try and understand a movie from the supposition that there is only one explanation and one correct interpretation. Obviously it tells us of a barren, vast country, where man struggles with the earth. The imagery is really powerful, it sticks in your head. The actors do a fabulous job. Lighting, decor and photography are just absolutely right there on perfection. I recommend this for people who want a feast for their eyes, mind and soul.

a hidden gem

[mnikonov · 10/10 · 30 April 2007]

Okraina is an epic movie about family, land and patriotism. It's a pity this movie is little known in Russia. I wish it had the marketing budget of Nochnoi Dozor but sadly that kind of thing never happens.

I'm afraid that non-Russians won't understand the message of this movie, not to say of the cultural/folklore references. "Surreal slapstick" would be the most probable foreign viewer's reaction.

Grotesque at first sight, the movie is actually dead-serious. It appeals to deepest instincts of a Russian soul. Personally, I think this is number one most important movie shot in Russia in last 15 years.

As a true gem of Russian cinema, Okraina is the blackest of all black comedies.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 19 April 2013]

In current times,the merits and strengths of Russian cinema are properly assessed only by those foreign critics and viewers who have also evaluated the artistic brilliance of other national cinemas.It is important to know that this trend is happening at a time when for some peculiar reasons Russian audiences have started to ignore the heritage of their own domestic cinema in order to appreciate films from different types of dead woods namely Bollywood and Hollywood.This small review is an earnest attempt to discuss the greatness of Russian cinema.Apart from water,land is recognized as one of the most recognizable universal concepts.As a film, Pyotr Lutsik's Okraina is based on the universal theme of land but chooses to depict an oddball case of land grabbing and its consequences on hapless peasants.This might appear simple to digest but Okraina is absolutely impossible to pigeonhole.Blackest of all black comedies would be the nearest brief plausible description of this film.The film's TOUR DE FORCE consists of some violent scenes which have an absolutely surreal charm.For example- proper attention must be paid to a scene wherein a man disappears in thin air under the ice to reappear after some time from the other side.The film is replete with several humorous scenes of this kind which shock the viewer in a positive sense.It is for this reason that an astute viewer has to marvel at indefatigable efforts by director Pyotr Lutsik who teamed up with his screenwriter colleague late Aleksei Samoryadov(1962-1994).Lastly a word of advice from film critic Mr.Lalit Rao-If a viewer has appreciated this film then the next best step would be to watch Boris Barnet's original Okraina which is considered as one of Russian cinema's greatest classics.

Good film, but of rather limited appeal

[grob248 · 10 July 2000]

Definitely a decent movie. Unfortunately, if you are not Russian, you will find very little substance in it because it is choke-full of distinctly Russian cultural/folklore references, gags etc. that you have to be familiar with to understand. Peter Lutsik created a post-modern Russian fairy tale and enhanced it with imagery straight out of Soviet movies from 1930's. Certain parallells to Jim Jarmusch, particularly "Dead Man," can be drawn, with Lutsik's post-modern approach, the use of black and white film, and beautiful shots of Ural nature. Once again, good movie, but it's not for everyone.

Surrealistic western - road movie

[drdraganvidovic · 10/10 · 13 December 2020]

This is the best movie I've ever seen, and I've seen it at least ten times. And I'm not Russian! It's not really dark, it does have some violence but it is not graphic, it's optimistic and cheerful. It is very much Russian. A group of peasants goes for a journey to find justice (like in many westerns) and evolves on the way. Don't miss it.

Try it,why not?

[jackush · 7/10 · 22 December 2004]

It's a very hard movie,and I didn't really find any funny moments-it might be a very peculiar kind of humor which I really don't get.What can I say about Okraina?A very strange movie,somewhere a mix between Tarkovski(the overall mud),Tarantino(the fun of having someone's blood on its clothes),Kurosawa(the gang of men looking for justice),to say nothing about Dziga Vertov,Eisenstein in the expressionistic language.Despite this strange mixture,the movie remains a highly original,and illuminating in understanding why Bakunin,Stalin,the Ukrainian murderers in the Holocaust could exist.It is a movie who needs open-minded,and patient audience.What stunned me-it might be ironic,I hope,it's the collectivist happy end.So,if you love Tarantino,find Tarkovski breathtaking and have nihilistic thoughts,you will like.Others,try it,it might be alright.

Madness in the politics!

[DukeEman · 7/10 · 14 October 1999]

Like the cheeky director, Petr Lutsik, this film has some wonderfully bizarre moments, (I think you may be able to label it as surreal). Four farm men hit the road on a journey to the big smoky city and fight the powers that be. A wicked tale about an insane country going through some heavy changes.

Do you understand?

[Yura Shm · 8 April 1999]

Unfortunately if you do not live in Russia you'll hardly understand this film, which is totally postmodern. There are a lot of cultural codes in it. This film is not black humored - it's about dark Russian soul. Also you'll get perfect lesson of film-making here, Lytzyk uses first-class cinema language. If your dream is shooting (booth - camera work & killing people) - take a look.