Lyubov i nenavist: A strange, dusty piece of history

Is it worth the watch?

Honestly, only if you're a glutton for Soviet-era drama or just really curious about how they handled tension in the 1930s. If you hate movies where people stand around shouting manifestos at each other, skip it. You will probably find it a slog.

It’s not exactly a smooth ride. The pacing has this weird, stuttering rhythm to it. One minute you’re deep in a heated, whispery conversation, and the next, everyone is running in different directions for no reason I could figure out. It’s exhausting, honestly.

The cinematography feels like it’s fighting the film stock itself. There’s a scene near the middle where the lighting shifts so drastically it looks like they changed cameras mid-take. I had to double-check if I hadn't accidentally hit the settings button on my TV.

Mikhail Zharov is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. You can see him trying to hold the whole thing together while the rest of the cast seems to be in a completely different genre of movie. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in

There is this one moment where a character stares into the camera for a solid five seconds too long. It starts as a dramatic choice. Then it gets awkward. Then it gets funny. I think I laughed, which I’m fairly certain wasn't the goal. 😬

The movie doesn't have the clean, sharp edge of something like

If you enjoy finding those little technical errors—the shadow of a boom mic, a horse that clearly doesn't want to be there—you’ll have a field day. The extras in the background are particularly hilarious. Some of them look like they’re trying to remember if they left their stoves on at home.