In his incomplete 30 years, a promising young domestic director Yegor Baranov managed to create four different projects in the genre policy: two black-headed comedies “The Nightingale the Robber” and “Suicides”, the dramatic action film “Priest-san: Confession of the Samurai” with a stunning acting ensemble (K. Hirayuki-Tagawa, I. Okhlobystin, P. Mamonov) and the film "Locust", reviews of which rank the tape as melodramas, stubbornly ignoring the genre of erotic thriller positioned by the creators.
From the mini-series to the two-hour movie
Almost all reviews of the film "Locust" (Russia) mention the difficulties encountered at the stage of production of the picture. The fact is that the story of the tape is foggy. The mini-series was shot two years ago, but as a result, for reasons unknown to the general public, it was remounted and turned into a two-hour full-length film. Moreover, the brainchild of Baranov was “taken under guardianship” by Alexander Tsekalo and Konstantin Ernst, whose producer geniuses have been actively manifesting themselves lately on domestic television. The picture was even taken to Cannes, but Baranov’s talent and the film Locust itself went unnoticed and unappreciated. Reviews of domestic filmmakers predicted a similar outcome, not endorsing the hasty decision of the producers.
Edifying story
The film "Locust" critics received at least mixed reviews. Reviewers skeptical of the project explained all of its shortcomings with the serial past. In their opinion, the movie turned out to be similar to a television movie - at the same time ignoring the main thing and too verbose, to everything it is too loaded with melodramatic plot twists. The narrative of the tape was considered depressingly monotonous. The edifying story about the vicissitudes of a fatal passion, pushing lovers to a slippery path on which the creators built the film "Locust", experts compared the opinions of moralizing melodramatic novels of the late XIX century. Some of the authors' sources of inspiration called Zerez's Theresa Raken and Lescov's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
The plot twists and turns
Domestic film critics, analyzing the film "Locust", reviews regarding the plot of the tape left mostly positive. Indeed, the plot of the picture is not stupidly tailored, each perfect crime does not benefit the heroes, only exacerbates their already precarious position, revealing certain circumstances.
The story begins with the fact that the stormy resort romance of a guy from the province of Artyom (Petr Fedorov) and the spoiled metropolitan beauty Lera (Paulina Andreeva) is broken about everyday difficulties: the girl is destined to be a wife to her father’s business partner, and the young man has nothing but a motorcycle and a pair of rhymes in a notebook. Having listened to the words of his mother, Lera returns to Moscow and marries a wealthy man. Artem, who rushed after Beloved to Belokamennaya, is conquered by the fading Madame from the nouveau riche (Ekaterina Volkova). However, unquenchable passion continues to burn both.
Two-hour victim
The film "Locust" is criticized by the audience for the fact that a nice plot message is not fully developed in the process of filing. Unfortunately, demonstrating the inner world of the main characters, their environment, the creators do everything too superficially, regularly straying into stupid cliches. Most of the really important character transformations are slurred. Naturally, the authors had to sacrifice a lot, holding the contents of the series in 118 minutes of timing. Nevertheless, when the beholder watches how a romantic young man gets into the harsh world of the capital, turning first into a toy of a rich lady, and then into a calculating killer, it is important for him to understand the reasons for each decision of the protagonist. The viewer does not have such an opportunity. Such narrative omissions separately are not a big problem, but when they accumulate, they spoil the impression and do not compel them to review the film Locust several times.
Reviews of the film as an erotic thriller
Probably, it is necessary to mention the numerous erotic scenes of the brainchild of Baranov. The authors, removing the tape about the all-consuming passion, do not shy away from nudity and other details. Every now and then a naked body appears in the frame, and not only in scenes of carnal joys. In general, there is an author’s attempt to identify with a few realistic positions. However, almost every erotic episode is presented with identical solemnity - the camera slowly creeps up and down, flickers, as if the amber color is melting, the next romantic musical composition sounds louder. But when in two hours of timekeeping it is demonstrated once in the sixth, then the beholder has practically no patience. It turns out not stupid and good ideas that the tape does not develop in full force, and the repeating moments manage to quickly disappoint the viewer. This is the imperfection of the film.
Verdict
Unfortunately, the well-known statement about “I wanted the best, but it turned out as always” fits the specific project even too much. The "first Russian erotic thriller" claimed by the producers did not take place either as a "thriller" or as an "erotic" one. Frank scenes are not impressive because of their multiplicity and ingenuity. Trying to please fans of an erotic thriller, Baranov borrows separate scenes from “Shame”, copies the aesthetics of bodies in the light of neon lamps of Gaspard Noe. The result was a highly wound, not entirely reliable and too monotonous melodramatic story about fatal passion and murders. The end of the picture, drawing in a tight knot, brings the heartbreaking final scene closer, which in general terms can be predicted half an hour before the end of the tape. Nevertheless, in fairness, it is worth noting that the film has several very attractive ideas and an IMDb rating of 5.60, so it can be recommended for viewing to fans of new products of the domestic film industry.