There was a point when I considered Yuriy Bykov my favourite contemporary Russian director. Sure, he's not as deep and artsy as Zvyagintsev, but his movies are incredibly authentic and realistic, far more so than Zvyagintsev's, whose characters exist almost in this cultural void, much similar to Tarkovsky's (though got increasingly more authentic with Elena and Leviathan). I'm saying this as someone who grew up in one of those Russian towns Bykov tends to show in his movies. In fact he once did a masterclass (which I attended) in my town, being the only filmmaker of his status to come to such a shithole. He confessed that he loves small Russian towns, and that the people in such places are sorta his main object of interest. I remember at the masterclass he mentioned how he was a big fan of Balabanov and his nihilism. And acknowledged Balabanov's racism, which in my mind meant that he himself wasn't racist. He also named this French movie 'Prophet' (a movie about an Arab immigrant in a French prison) as one of his favourites. Why am I mentioning this? I guess because as an ethnic minority, who grew up in such a racist country, it is important for me to know that somebody I admire isn't someone who'd hate me and want my people and culture destroyed. Though at the time I still lacked the ethnic and political consciousness that I possess now, I knew that I hated the circumstances in which I lived, and the government responsible for it. Bykov's movies seemed to raise important questions that were (or should've been) relatable to any Russian citizen. The people you saw in his movies were exactly the people you saw outside on the streets. Most movies in Russia are made by people who grew up in Moscow and were educated in a film school, so they're a little detached from the realities of small-town Russia (aka 90% of Russia). Or their movies may be authentic but utter trash (aka 90% of Russian movies). Bykov was kinda a unique case of an actually great filmmaker who actually nailed the essence of life in small-town Russia. And with his continuous criticism of corruption, I looked at him as one of the few brave voices in Russian cinema to speak out against the immoral government of criminals. But that was a somewhat mistaken view. At the time he had a few movies in his catalogue, some of which were his ACTUAL art works (by his own admission), others were made entirely for money, just to make a living. Because these artsy movies did not actually make any money. At the time I thought it was a rational position. I think about a year or two later I saw him on one of the biggest state-sponsored Russian channels, on a late-night show, sitting right next to Fyodor Bondarchuk, Putin's buddy and one of the people responsible for the slow and agonizing death of Russian cinema. Bykov was doing a project with him, I think a TV series. The way Bykov conducted himself on the show disgusted me. He was acting so friendly with Bondarchuk, pretending to like his movies and whatnot. It made me sick. I guess I had never considered what one must go through in order to make movies for money. One has to act fake and kiss ass. That realization made me lose respect for Bykov and radicalized me. I knew at that moment that I would rather die of hunger than sell out. I lost all desire to watch a movie by Bykov ever again. So, years passed by. I haven't seen Bykov's next art movie, nor did I check whether he made anything after that. I've been through my own personal hell, and arguably am still going through it. I have left Russia. I've become even more radicalized, both artistically and politically. The realities of mid-2010s have become distant memories, just as the distance between me and Yuriy Bykov's works has become immense. And now, as I was having my dinner, I came across this movie on the TV. I think last time I watched it was in 2015. I felt old. The movie immediately pulled me in, and so I decided to watch it to completion. I see some people call it unnecessarily bleak and cynical. Let me ask you people, have you lived in a country where the entire government, bottom to top, is hopelessly corrupt and oppressive? Where a regular human being is entirely aware of all the crime that's going on but is helpless and/or unwilling to do anything? Please trust me, when I say, that in 2021 I am not a cynic or a nihilist, because I know what cynicism and nihilism are. I used to be a cynic and a nihilist. And please trust me when I say that this movie is not cynical, it is actually slightly too optimistic for what it is. I wish you could show me a policeman with conscience in Russia. Such phenomena doesn't exist. This movie actually humanizes a lot of the types of people that lack such humanity in real life. Sure, it shows that one man cannot change the system, but it also shows that one man CAN CHOOSE to attempt. That good people exist. - You scumbags. How does the Earth carry you? - The same as it does you. This movie, same as The Fool, shows one protagonist having the sense of morality while most of the society doesn't. And that's exactly the environment that the movie was released into. Most people in Russia are apathetic and materialistic. They don't care about others much, unless there are financial incentives, and they wouldn't risk their own well-being to help someone else. It's this mentality of caring only about your close circle that Bykov explores. That's what the movie is really about. How the sense of morality gets blurred in such circumstances. Despite my loss of respect for Bykov as a person, this movie still stands the test of time as one of the best Russian movies I've seen. Brutally honest, it immerses you into the very thick of Russian society and confronts you with the questions that tend to be intentionally ignored. I don't really like how it kinda devolves into an action movie towards the end, plus there's some sloppy exposition here and there. But you can't not admire the long takes with pretty intense acting. Especially considering how low-budget the movie was (filmed on a photocamera by Bykov's admission, I suppose a DSLR), and that Bykov played one of the main roles himself (and did a great job too). I can't help but commend everybody involved in creating such a compelling and anti-establishment narrative about retaining humanity in a nation that has long given it up.