It has been forever since I last saw a film from the Soviet Union era. To some coincidence, it died down heavily one I came to Armenia, but I feel that the more I roam the dated streets of this nation, the more I find myself intrigued by its history, more curious over it and wanting to know more. A great way to learn about the world is through a nation's cinema, the ways in which culture and tradition are cemented in time through the visuals. Where perhaps the chaos of modernisation have since replaced a lot of the history in the present. I searched for a few titles from the era that I had not seen, naturally many of the results were the usual suspects. That feeling that I had to scratch a bit more beneath the surface in order to find something of interest. And one particular film was incredibly intriguing by its name alone: Zerograd. For a little bit of a Russian lesson (I'm hardly the one to be giving them given my atrocious skills with the language), "Zero" of course is zero, and "Grad" translates to the likes of "City", or "Town". This brings the film's title to the equivalent of Zero City.
A lot of Soviet era films are quite existential so some length. The ideologies that were met with the communist mindset and the philosophical questions of the self, as well as community. For many, it resulted in a lot of bleak assumptions on life itself, the removal of importance in one's self-preservation, the lack of being as they saw little more to themselves than mere insects running across a wasteland, or a worker drone with little more to life. It's reflected in so many films, but there's also a lot of beauty in them. Met with the realisation of life's fragility, it's absurdity, and of course, the art and beauty in it all. Zerograd instantly spoke to me with these memories of Russian cinema returning, the memories of slow, poetic films that detail a completely different environment to the one I have known for the 29 years of my life. Though, for the past six months, everything has sort of being picked up and thrown upside-down. A total reboot of the self.
It's surprising to see such a film from this part of the world, one that really looks at itself, and society in a very circus-like fashion, but I think that's what made me really appreciate it. Though this is definitely not a film for everyone.
To no surprise, the film introduces us to the head of a factory, sent to visit another town in search of certain details regarding some parts needed This business trip has him visiting an area that quickly seems odd, with sudden reasons that keep him in the space and incapable of leaving. The first sign of something being off is that during a meeting, a female secretary is completely naked, yet nobody bats an eye to this. To begin with, for the era, this is already an insane thing to throw into a film. Nudity in the media was a form of insanity. Though as mentioned, nobody in the film seems to pay any attention to this matter, and when discussed, people merely shrug it off. And this is the start of a series of odd events that carry from each other in a manner that make no sense. A sudden world and time in which reality seems twisted, highly dysfunctional and like a circus. At the same time, the film treats much of its narrative like a tour through a museum.
We see our protagonist taken through a space in which figures (actual people standing in poses, slightly moving) as they act out specific moments in time. A bit of a history lesson takes place with influences within the land, their struggles and successes. What follows is the chaos of the modern world, figures dressed in different styles, more modern, a sudden loss of identity and character in pursuit of something that's certainly more western. You can see that the film is essentially treated this backward world as a way to introduce the future of the Soviet Union as it collapses, the economic struggles as western influence appears, as people seek to find themselves under what essentially is a series of mass manipulation, to idea of who the self is as a matter of consumerism. That criticism of capitalism being as clear as day.
The film goes beyond this, however. There are a lot of signs that show cracks forming within the space. A lot of moments in which the world feels to have no order, that temptation is in all areas, trying to pry and pull something from our protagonist. It's as if he has been thrown into a dimension of the Soviet Union in which total freedom is present, where everyone does as they please with no regard for society or any form of structure in life. That isn't to say people don't have any kindness, there is plenty, but that people seemingly have access to freewill, and the result is that catastrophe of everyone pursuing their own interests. The world now void of an ability to really function. Sort of like a reflective world to our own reality, with a hint of fever dream thrown in. At the same time those references look back to the past with sadness, looking at the simplicity of the past, how people lived before, how there was some sort of poetic nature to the way in which people moved, talked, and acted. Suddenly that connection to the history lesson we had previously makes more sense. Particularly with the introduction of American rock and roll music.
Though Zerograd doesn't suggest that a lot of these influences are a poison, but more looks at them with disappointment. A sadness for what is being replaced and how identity is slowly being lost. The realisation that things are about to change drastically. Here and there we get a good glimpse at the genuine negatives, the poisonous side of this newfound freedom. All in a very surrealist manner. The collapse of an empire is near. Life will never be the same again. What's interesting is the way in which the film handles the idea of humanity being lost in pursuit of the idea of fun, the ways in which people party life away, forgetting what matters. A lot of self-indulgence that the film just portrays as something heavily tragic. A loss of humanity that comes with the interests of the west. In a way, it isn't entirely wrong. And I think that's what makes this film powerful, to see those two sides of the spectrum, and how when they clash, two different ideologies can seem dreadful to one another.
Interesting accumulation of thoughts arose as a result of the movie, very deep for a 29 year old 😊😉. He looks like an old soul in a young body.
I liked the tip about the naked secretary that everyone ignores, must be a good movie. @namiks
Thanks! I enjoy films like these that allow us to learn about different nations and their pasts.