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Act & Punishment

original title: Vystuplenie i nakazanie

2016, DCP, 90 min., Russian

antiputinism art-actionism contemporary art human rights LGBT music Pussy Riot

CATEGORY : Documentary
DOCUMENTARY CATEGORY : Current Time / Politics
COUNTRY: Russia
PRODUCTION : BUDGET : -

CAST

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, Samutsevich Yekaterina, Petr Verzilov - artist, "Voyna" group, Taisia Krugovykh - artist, Anatoly Osmolovsky - artist, Roman Zaytsev - artist, Elena Volkova - art critic, Ekaterina Dyogot’ – art critic, Boris Groys - philosopher, art curator, Dmitry Kuminov - activist, Andrey Yerofeyev - art curator, Lev Rubinshtein - poet, Alexander Cheparukhin - musical producer, Oleg Kulik - artist

CREW

Director : Screenplay : Evgeny Mitta
Cinematographer : Vladimir Kanareikin, Alexander Kuznetsov, Igor Malakhov
Producers : Evgeny Mitta, Alyona (Belka) Gorlanova
Poster

COMMENTS

Riga IFF, Artdocfest 2015, Warsaw IFF 2016, SEOUL International Women’s Film Festival 2017, Trieste Film Festival 2017, LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International 2017, FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL FILMES SOBRE ARTE PORTUGAL 2017 

SYNOPSIS

Young actionist artists Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich decide to separate from the well-known actionist group Voina. They feel pressure of male participants of the group. They decide to create their own group that would express their ideas of female independence and liberty. That’s how the Pussy Riot is born, combining actionism, feminism, media activism and punk rock.

Participants of Pussy Riot choose the tactics of making shows in public places such as subway stations and trains, cafés, a roof of a trolleybus. They sing the songs they have written themselves, criticizing male chauvinism and authorities. But the reaction to their shows is not what they waited for. The girls are in a difficult situation. They have no money, no employment, they have to look on junkyards for the equipment and wear castoff clothes. But they feel commitment and they go on. Maria Alyokhina joins the group.
They come to public attention after a show on the Lobnoye Mesto in the Red Square. They accuse the authorities of sexism, singing the song Putin turned chicken. This action gave them ten hours in a police station and some attention from mass media. Many girls decided to quit the group, but not Nadezhda, not Ekaterina, not Maria.

The Patriarch Cyril openly supports Vladimir Putin as presidential candidate, urging his faithful to vote for him at the elections. Pussy Riot decides to react, conducting a punk church service in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Saviour: Mother of God, Chase Putin Away! Security stops the show 40 seconds after it started. The action becomes their greatest failure but journalists and cameramen manage to film it. The information about punk church service and a clip with the song are published in the Internet. The media version draws a wide response, splitting the society into supporters of the action and those who feel indignation.

The reaction of law enforcement was quick. Three participants of the punk church service are arrested and brought before the court. Their situation seems hopeless, they are threatened by seven years in prison. The prosecutor accuses them of hooliganism with the motive of religious hatred against Orthodox Christianity. This exaggerated attention of authorities, in turn, attracts to their action the eyes of the whole world.

In the beginning, it may seem the girls have no support at all. But suddenly, a number of world stars express their support for the artists – Red hot chili peppers, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Franz Ferdinand and many others. They are offered liberty if they agree with the prosecution and repent for their “crime” but they remain faithful to their position. The court sentences the artists to two years in prison. Their defeat in the court becomes their moral victory. Concluding speeches of girls in court show they are not broken, they believe in their righteousness. All over the world, thousands of protesters wear color balaclavas chanting “Liberty to Pussy Riot!”

The film shows that the phenomenon of actionism is situated at the intersection of the art, the history and the politics. The action of Pussy Riot could be interpreted as the continuation of the old Russian tradition of ‘holy fools’, those who were not afraid of speaking disagreeable truths even to Tsars. Revolutionary art of Russian avant-garde took its inspiration in Russian icons, and bright attire of Pussy Riot is inspired by suprematist images of Kazimir Malevich.

PRESS

The film picks up after their release from prison and follows their evolution from political activists to punk-rockers that gained plenty of worldwide attention included especially after their widely seen concert at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where bandmembers were attacked by Cossacks who were hired as security at the Games.

by Patrick Hipes, DEADLINE

The film follows the Russian all-girl punk rock band “Pussy Riot” – the real ‘jail-bait’ band – who stood up to government human rights oppression in the country and paid the ultimate price with their incarceration in 2011. Following their release from prison in 2012, their story is told in this stunning documentary film that covers their evolution from mere political activists through their formation of a punk rock band destined to bring their message of revolution to the masses and beyond.

by Ken Murray, The Nerds Templar

Film jest uzupełnieniem „Pussy Riot. Modlitwa Punka”. Ukazuje bowiem w większym stopniu proces powstania zespołu oraz wcześniejsze akcje (dla więźniów, na Placu Czerwonym, w moskiewskim metrze). Zawiera wiele nowych, nieznanych do tej pory informacji o członkiniach zespołu i okolicznościach ich projektów.

Druga część filmu dotycząca aresztowania i procesu jest już tożsama z filmem z 2013 roku, przez co mniej ciekawa.

Wadą dokumentu jest zbyt wiele wypowiedzi, a zbyt mało muzyki i samych „występów” Pussy Riot. Ale i tak jest to ciekawy film, zarówno dla fanów zespołu i poglądów dziewczyn, jak i zainteresowanych okolicznościami, które doprowadziły do rozsławienia ich wyczynu na całym świecie.

WARSZAWA

O Pussy Riot powstało już wiele krótko i długometrażowych dokumentów, ale nadal temat radykalnej grupy feministek-artystek interesuje filmowców. Tym razem Evgeny Mitta, który pochodzi z Rosji, ojczyzny konserwatyzmu i zbuntowanych dziewczyn, przyjrzał się fonomenowi jednej z najsłynniejszych grup artystycznych na świecie. Na Pussy Riot zwrócili uwagę nawet twórcy nowej części „Bridget Jones”.

I-D

„Pussy Riot: pasirodymas ir bausmė“ (Vystuplenie i nakazanie, 2016) pasakojama apie trijų jaunų feminisčių aktyvizmo ir pankroko projektą „Pussy Riot“, savo dainomis kritikavusį vyriškąjį šovinizmą, politinių debatų stoką, valdžios ir bažnyčios korupciją. Rengusios pasirodymus metro stotyse, traukiniuose ir kavinėse, 2012 m. „Pussy Riot“ merginos Maskvos Kristaus Išganytojo katedroje surengė politinį protestą. Pankroko „mišiose“ jos meldėsi Dievo Motinai, prašydamos pašalinti V.Putiną. Šis pasirodymas sulaukė itin griežtos reakcijos iš bažnytinių ir valdžios struktūrų, porai merginų buvo skirta dvejų metų laisvės atėmimo bausmė. Tačiau akimirksniu išgarsėjusios menininkės sulaukė beprecedenčio tarptautinės bendruomenės dėmesio ir palaikymo, o jų bausmė virto moraline pergale.

15min kultūra