Horizon: A dusty, rough-around-the-edges history lesson

Is this thing worth your time?

If you like your movies polished and fast, skip this. Seriously, just go watch something else. But if you’re the kind of person who enjoys watching 1930s Soviet cinema with all its weird, jagged edges and earnest political shouting, then you’re in for a trip.

It’s not exactly a barrel of laughs. It feels like a long, dusty march through history that sometimes forgets to tell a story. You’ll probably hate it if you need a clear plot. You’ll love it if you just want to stare at faces that look like they’ve seen too much.

Notes from the couch

The pacing is… well, it’s a choice. There are moments where the camera just sits on a character’s face for what feels like five minutes. You can practically hear the director thinking, “Is this profound enough yet?”

There’s a scene about halfway through where they’re just standing in a field, and I swear the wind noise is the only thing happening. It’s strangely meditative. Then, out of nowhere, someone starts screaming about the future of the state. It gave me whiplash.

• The dirt looks real. Like, really, really real.
• The extras in the background look like they haven’t slept since 1928.
• Nikolay Kryuchkov is doing a lot of heavy lifting with just his eyebrows.

I couldn't help but compare the raw, unpolished grit here to something like The Big Adventure. Both films feel like they were made by people who were just figuring out what a movie even is. It’s got that same “let’s point the camera at the chaos and see what happens” vibe.

Some of the dialogue is so stiff it’s almost funny. It’s like everyone is reading from a manifesto instead of talking to their neighbor. But then there’s a flicker of humanity—a glance, a touch—that reminds you these are supposed to be people. Not just props for a revolution.

I spent about twenty minutes wondering if the lead actor was actually cold or just really good at acting miserable. The costumes have that specific, scratchy-looking quality that makes you want to reach for a blanket. It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s not trying to be.

It’s just there. Sitting on your screen, demanding you pay attention to the dust. I appreciate that, even if I was checking my watch every once in a while. 📽️