Ischu Protektsii: Watching the silence pile up

So, who is this for?

If you like movies that move at the speed of a growing beard, you’re in the right place. Honestly, if you need a plot that punches you in the face every five minutes, stay away. This is for the folks who like staring at walls and finding something interesting in the peeling paint. 🏚️

Andrei Kostrichkin carries a face that looks like it’s been through a few too many winters. He’s got that specific kind of tired that you can’t act your way into. It just sits there, heavy on the screen.

The rhythm is... weird.

There’s a scene about halfway through where he just stands by a window. It goes on for so long I checked if my internet had stalled. It hadn't. The movie just really, really wants you to know he’s standing there.

It’s not trying to be During the Plague, though it shares that same suffocating air of something inevitable coming for you. You can tell they didn't have much to work with, but they made the emptiness feel like a character of its own.

• The lighting in the kitchen scene is actually kind of brilliant.
• Yevgeniya Pyryalova pops up, and the whole vibe shifts like someone opened a window.
• I think there’s a stray cat in the background of that one street shot that’s more interesting than the dialogue.

It reminds me a bit of the sparse, stripped-back feeling you get from Kino-pravda no. 23 - Radio pravda. Just the facts, or maybe just the feelings, without any of the extra glitter.

Don't look for a big payoff. There isn't one. The movie ends pretty much the same way it started, just with a little more dust on the floor. It’s almost rude how little it explains itself. 🤷‍♂️

I found myself thinking about En glad gutt afterwards, just because of how different they feel. One is all sunshine and, well, 'glad', and this is just... grey. Deep, textured grey.

If you’re having a bad day, maybe skip this. If you’re having a weird day, it’ll fit right in.