
After Venya's mother receives a call from school reporting her son's refusal to participate in mixed swimming lessons, she first suspects her teenager of being shy and derides his claim that it is "against his religion." As Venya is finally exempted by the school's devout principal, he grows confident that his strict and rigorous study of the Bible gives him the ability to manipulate all forms of authority. Challenged by a teacher who refuses to consent to his dogma, he sets out to eliminate her and subdue an entire community. At a time when arguments over the teaching of religion in public schools are prominent in the media, this wildly escalating classroom drama - based on a play by German playwright Marius von Mayenburg - serves as a frightening cautionary tale.
Publisher:
[United Kingdom] : Hype Film, [2016]
Copyright Date:
©2016
Branch Call Number:
RUSSIAN ENGLISH STU
Characteristics:
1 videodisc (118 minutes) : sound, colour ; 12 cm
digital,optical,surround
video file,DVD video
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Add a CommentIt could have been good- it just wasn't. Adapted from a stage play, it felt awkward and seemed to want to do more than it should have attempted. Portions dragged on ad too much time spent as in an early scene where the mother is trying to figure out the reason her son is not attending swim class. A story of a high school student in Russia who becomes increasingly psychotic with demented religious obsessions and this film is about how those around him react including friends, teachers, school admin and his mother.