Deti shakhterov: A dusty look at Soviet youth and coal mines

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably only watch this if you have a soft spot for Soviet youth dramas or if you’re doing a deep dive into mid-century cinema. It’s not going to change your life. If you like high-octane thrills, stay away. If you find the earnest, slightly stiff acting of 1940s regional films charming, you might actually enjoy the ride.

The whole premise is basically: kids + mine accident = heroism. It’s simple, but there’s something oddly hypnotic about the way they frame the industrial setting. Everything feels very heavy, very dusty, and very serious.

The mine sets are something else. They aren’t just backdrops; they’re practically characters. There’s a specific sequence where the water starts leaking through that feels surprisingly tense, even if the special effects are just, you know, buckets of water thrown at actors.

The kids in this are… well, they’re very determined. Sometimes a little too determined. There’s a scene where they’re organizing the adults that feels a bit forced, like someone wrote the script with a very specific, stiff moral lesson in mind. Still, you have to admire the commitment.

Some odd notes from my notebook:

• The lighting in the shafts is occasionally weirdly bright for a place that’s supposed to be pitch black.
• Yuri Laptev has this one stare that feels like he’s trying to look through the camera lens and into my living room.
• The way the sound design echoes in the tunnels is genuinely impressive for the time.

It’s not as polished as Life in a Western Penitentiary, which had a bit more room to breathe. This one feels a bit more claustrophobic, which I think is the point. It’s a bit like watching Our Alley but with way more coal dust and fewer city streets.

There is a lot of running. My god, these kids run everywhere. I felt tired just watching them sprint through the mud. 🏃‍♂️

Sometimes the film stops being a movie and starts feeling like a public service announcement. You can tell they really wanted people to value the work of the miners. It’s a bit preachy at times, sure. But there’s a genuine heart to it that’s hard to completely dismiss.

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. I’d call it a time capsule. It’s imperfect, a bit clunky, and entirely too earnest for its own good. But for a rainy Tuesday? It’s fine. It’s just fine.