Cinema is one of the most complex and at the same time one of the most popular forms of art. This is much more than just movies. This is a multi-billion dollar business that brings huge revenue to movie figures. However, it often happens that in the pursuit of big money, the movie loses the status of art and turns into a factory, monotonous and boring series of cliched paintings.
The reason for this is not only those who make the movie, but also those who watch it. Russian cinema is not only producers and directors, but also spectators. After all, film companies will not allocate money for a good film, knowing that it will not be in demand at the box office. Unfortunately, the modern viewer is accustomed to the clichés and poverty of cinema, so attraction films and home comedies collect much more money in movie theaters than really worthy films.
This concerns Russian cinema to the greatest extent, since scolding modern Russian cinema has become a familiar thing for people who are really versed in cinema. And you can’t say that this is undeserved, because Russian films are really very far behind world premieres, and even more so from Hollywood. This happens most often. However, studying Russian cinema, you can find exceptions, which cannot but rejoice.
In fact, not everything is as bad as it seems at first glance. In Russia, there really are good directors and worthy actors who make contemporary Russian cinema interesting and high-quality. Some of them are better known, some less, but they are united by one thing - an honest approach to work and complete dedication in the pursuit of art.
The main figures of Russian cinema
In the process of creating a film, everyone is important, whether it's an assistant director, make-up artist or decorator. However, it cannot be denied that the main director has a special role in the process, because it is he who is responsible for the final result of the work of all members of the film crew. So, what kind of people create worthy contemporary Russian cinema?
Ilya Naishuller
One of the youngest Russian directors. Ilya was born in 1983 in Moscow, now he is 33 years old.
The director’s debut work, which brought him widespread fame, was the experimental and very unusual film Hardcore, released in 2015. In this film, Naishuller acted not only as a director, but also as a screenwriter, and his wife Daria Charusha acted as a composer.
The main feature of the film is that it is shot from the beginning to the end in the first person, which allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the plot and look at the world through the eyes of the protagonist.
The film "Hardcore" was released under the production of Timur Bekmambetov, with whom many modern Russian film directors worked, and immediately gained great success both in Russia and abroad. By the way, the fees in the United States more than three times the fees in Russia.
Success was not a reason for the young director to relax. In 2016, Ilya Naishuller receives an offer to shoot a story clip from the famous American pop artist The Weeknd. The clip is shot in the same style as the movie "Hardcore", in the first person. The video turned out to be very dynamic and perfectly suitable for the artist’s track. The clip is called False Alarm, and the plot is based on a failed bank robbery. Currently, the video has over 60 million views.
Yuri Bykov
One of the most profound and serious directors in modern Russia is rightfully considered Yuri Bykov. He was born in a small town Novomichurinsk, Ryazan region in 1981. At the moment, the director is 35 years old.
For this person, cinema is a means of revealing truly important and sensitive social topics. He shows Russia as it is, without belittling or exaggerating, his films are difficult to perceive, and only true cinema lovers can appreciate them.
The films "Major", "Fool", "Live" are rightfully considered one of the best works of modern Russian cinema.
As for the actors, there are also not so many people who really deserve attention. However, there are really talented contemporary actors of Russian cinema who completely surrender to their profession, and the result of their work is corresponding.
Danila Kozlovsky
Danila was born in 1985 in Moscow. He studied at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts, where he entered after graduation from the cadet corps, where many contemporary actors of Russian cinema studied.
Danila Kozlovsky starred in a considerable number of successful films that really deserve attention. Among them are the recently released "Crew" directed by Nikolai Lebedev, as well as the films "We are from the Future" and "Legend No. 17". The last film received the highest rating from most Russian film critics.
Pavel Derevyanko
Pavel was born in Taganrog in 1976, at the moment he is 40 years old. As an actor, he participated in a huge number of films, in each of which he played well, but not all of them were successful.
Among the worthy paintings in which Pavel Derevyanko played, one can distinguish the film by Alexander Kott “Brest Fortress”, as well as the film “Cook” directed by Yaroslav Chevazhevsky.
Finally
Contemporary Russian cinema is not as bad as film critics often speak of it. There are really worthwhile films, but in order to distinguish them in a sea of mediocrity, you need to know the names of people who are really engaged in art, and not making money. Modern stars of Russian cinema rarely think about art, but there are exceptions that cannot but rejoice.