(M)uchenik is a Russian foreign language film set in present day Russia. It follows the story of Venya, a teenager in a small Russian town who sets out to manipulate everyone around him based on his strict personal beliefs.
The film succeeds in telling a present day high school drama with the backbone of film's subject matter revolving around the main character's obsession with his Russian Synodal Bible.
(M)uchenik touches on many themes revolving around the current state of the Russian government, education and general beliefs which exist somewhere between traditional Soviet and contemporary/democratic notions.
Synopsis
As stated above (M)uchenik follows the story of Venya, a very charismatic and misunderstood teenager.
He is somewhat of a loaner and tends to live a fairly closed off life away from his peers. Venya gets into trouble at school after he refuses to take part in swimming lessons during his physical education class, claiming that it "goes against his religion".
An argument ensues between him, his teachers, other members of the school's staff, his classmates and even his own mother. All while Venya recites quotes from the bible to back up his claims.
Soon enough this becomes a regular occurrence. He continues to argue his points with the purpose of opening people's eyes to the apparent evil that is around them.
In his eyes, everyone is a sinner and much has to be done to purify this world around them.
Soon his arguments and discussions become more and more over the top and he becomes something of a person of interest for many.
The remainder of the film follows Venya as he gains more confidence with his claims and his following.
Soon after he sets his cross-hairs on one of his teachers who he argues with regularly, claiming that she is his main enemy that needs to be vanquished.
We watch Venya's charismatic behaviour grow by tenfold along with the drama he creates.
Important Themes
Above all (M)uchenik is a film that contradicts beliefs many have towards Russian film and the Russian film industry as a whole.
Many tend to view Russian film as very serious, state-sponsored and censored. However, (M)uchenik is anything but that.
I was pleasantly surprised by just how funny and original the film was. The plot has it's roots in old 19th century biblical beliefs, but it tells a very current story. This bodes well for the film and allows for the viewer to see just how modern day Russian culture is a fusion of traditional Russian and contemporary-Western ideals.
Moreover (M)uchenik, which more accurately translates to "The Disciple" rather than "The Student", touches on many uniquely Russian issues as well. Most specifically shedding light on the material learned in the Russian school system.
By large the curriculum includes material which Westerners are accustomed to, but most of said material is also paired with an equal amount of traditional (and state driven) Russian rhetoric and philosophy.
It is also important to note that because all Schools in Russia are state-runned, they operate on a strict curriculum where students are taught censored information and material that reflect's Putin's version of history.
Additionally, Russia is a centralized nation and the vast majority (around 85 - 90 %) of their population lives around Moscow.
Because of this an overwhelming percentage of the total national capital goes towards urban Russia and very little is given to their Eastern citizenry.
As such there is a massive inequality dilemma as most government funding (in basically all forms) go towards those living in urban Russia. Meaning that living in a city like Moscow or St. Petersburg is drastically different away from the Eastern hub of Russia.
Many schools and non-state owned businesses lack funding and infrastructure in regions towards Central and Eastern portions of the country.
Conclusion
Altogether (M)uchenik is a remarkably entertaining film.
I went into the film with low expectations, and by the end of it I actually really liked it. I was surprised by just how funny the film was and how well-produced it was.
The story and plotline were very unique.
I found the relationship between traditional biblical notions and contemporary Russian beliefs were explored brilliantly through the charisma of the main character and his actions.
(M)uchenik is a film that succeeds in telling a story of a different perception of life in Russia and pairs comedy and drama well.
Go ahead and put it on your watch list because I don't think you'll ever watch a film quite like it.
