The Adventures of a Penny review: Fedko is a total menace (and I love it)

You should probably watch this if you like seeing how people actually lived a hundred years ago. It is definitely for people who enjoy silent films that feel a bit rough around the edges.

If you hate reading title cards or can't stand black and white, you will probably be bored to tears. But there is something really alive about it. ❄️

The main kid, Fedko, is what people used to call a 'tearaway.' He basically just ignores every rule his parents set and goes looking for trouble.

There is this one scene where they are sliding down these snowy slopes in Kyiv. It looks genuinely dangerous, like the kids might actually get hurt for real.

Their clothes are all patched up and dirty. It doesn't look like a 'costume,' it just looks like what they wore every day.

I kept thinking about how much it reminds me of the vibe in Pick and Shovel. Just that raw, working-class energy where kids have to make their own fun out of nothing.

The title is a bit weird though. The Adventures of a Penny makes it sound like we are following a coin around, but it is really about Fedko's ego.

He is the kind of kid who has to be the leader. If someone else suggests a game, he has to make it ten times more risky just to prove he can.

One of the most striking moments is when the kids are standing by a fence. They are just staring through a tiny gap at the rich families on the other side.

The movie doesn't say anything preachy about it. It just shows them looking, and then they go back to their own world.

It’s much less sugary than something like Naughty But Nice. This feels way more grounded in the mud and the cold.

The ice on the Dnieper river looks so thin. When Fedko goes out on it, you can almost hear the cracking, even though it is a silent movie. 🧊

I noticed one of the kids in the background looks like he is actually freezing. His shivering doesn't look like acting at all.

The adults in the movie are mostly there to hand out punishments. They don't really understand why Fedko is the way he is.

His dad is constantly stressed out. It reminded me a bit of the heavy atmosphere in Home, where everything feels a bit trapped.

There is a lot of shoving. These kids show affection by hitting each other or pushing each other into the snow.

The camera stays on Fedko’s face for a long time during one scene. He has this look that is half-scared and half-proud.

I think the writer, Volodymyr Vynnychenko, really knew what it felt like to be a 'bad' kid. He doesn't make Fedko a hero, but he doesn't make him a villain either.

It’s sort of like Gentle Julia if everyone was much poorer and everything was much colder.

The ending feels a bit abrupt. I wasn't quite ready for it to stop, but I guess that is how these old shorts go sometimes.

The film quality is a bit grainy, which actually makes the Kyiv streets look more atmospheric. It feels like you are looking through a dusty window into 1925.

I wonder what happened to those child actors. Most of them have names I don't recognize at all, like Petia Kuryshkin.

They have such expressive faces without even trying. They aren't doing that 'big' silent movie acting with the wide eyes and gasping.

They just look like kids who want to play. 🏚️

If you have an hour to spare and want to see something that isn't a polished Hollywood product, give this a look. It’s got a weird heart to it.

It makes you realize that being a bored teenager hasn't changed that much in a century. You still just want to climb things you aren't supposed to climb.