Note: This title is arriving on Blu-ray from Olive Films on April 19th.
If you’re a fan of dark and grim tales in the vein of Dostoevsky, you’re in luck. The Fool is as unsettling as it gets. Made in Russia, it’s a hard-to-watch but expertly made critique of government bureaucracy as well as profiteering. In its homeland, the film was nominated for Best Picture and won Nikas (the Russian equivalent of the Academy Awards) for Best Screenplay and Supporting Actress.
The plot involves an honest young plumber named Dima Nitikin (Artyom Bystrov). When he’s called to repair pipes in an old, beat up city tenement, he discovers bigger problems. There’s severe structural damage, meaning that building will collapse at any moment (more than likely within 24 hours). Dima attempts to go through proper channels, but encounters corruption at every turn and is called a “fool” for taking action.
After reaching his boss Fedotov (Boris Nevzorov) and the Mayor (Natalya Surkova) and insisting action be taken, things get even more complicated. The city officials are skimming public works funding for themselves and evacuating the building will leave them exposed to prosecution. It’s a labyrinth with complications preventing all from taking action, leaving the 820 apartment residents at immediate risk.
The conditions and situation are horrific, but while this extreme case is a specifically Russian story, it’s still a relatable tale for all. While not quite on this narrative scale, this kind of corruption can exist anywhere (particularly in this day and age, with such disparity between the wealthy and lower classes). It’s all emphasized by with shocking location changes from the awful tenement dormitory to a lavish government party where drunken officials are partying.
Dima is such a likable character that it is hard to watch him being chastised by just about everyone for trying to do the right thing. When he presses other government workers to do something, he’s called a “shit-stirrer” whose actions won’t help him rise up the ranks. The poor tenement residents can’t stand him because he’s part of the system. Even his family criticize him for being law-abiding and avoiding bribes, because they suffer for his honesty (the ladies in his life slap him repeatedly to show their intense displeasure). Almost everyone tells him not to care, to keep his head down and do nothing.
As events escalate, it all becomes increasingly tense. Admittedly the movie wears its heart on its sleeve and can be perhaps a little too on-the-nose with some of its points. There are conversations that directly address the theme. During one heated exchange in which Dima’s wife insults him for helping people who are “nobodies”, he responds, “We live like animals and die like animals because we are nobodies to each other.” It’s not particularly subtle, but the performances manage to sell it. And at least the film offers more complex insight into the motivations of the officials, where there are so many pay-offs that some find it impossible to avoid compromising their ideals.
Don’t expect any disaster-movie action sequences. This is all about the lead and his attempts to do the right thing (which are foiled at just about every turn). The photography is also impressive, filled with glum, snow-covered locations. These areas are as cracked and broken as the morality, cutthroat profiteering and selfishness of several characters. The images appear cold and icy throughout, further emphasizing the bleakness of the tale.
The Fool will be too grim for some, but it is an exceptionally well made film. If you can mentally prepare yourself for a dark turn like this, check it out.