Чёртово колесо / 2007

The Devil's Wheel / 1926

Typically of the heady days of early Soviet cinema, this is constructed according to the fast, sharp editing principles advocated by Eisenstein, complete with symbolic inserts; but in terms of subject matter, it's much less explicitly political than most movies emerging from Russia in the '20s. Chronicling a young sailor's descent into a murky, treacherous underworld of pimps and thieves, after having encountered a Louise Brooks lookalike at a fairground and missed his departing boat, it's a lively moral fable that delights in vivid visual effects and quirky characterisations. If the plot occasionally reveals gaping holes, and the tacked-on ending urging the clearance of the Leningrad slums seems to be rather gratuitous, there's enough going on to keep one attentive and amused.

Ohne Paß in fremden Betten / 1965

Ferris Wheel / 2019

The loser Yaroslav returns to his homeland from a long journey, where he tried to know himself and the universe. The return falls on the birthday of his son, for whom he has long ceased to be an authority. Based on new values, Yaroslav is trying to confront obstacles and improve relations with the child. But the acquired concepts do not work well in the megalopolis, and my son needs something more than words...