Udivitelnyy Sad Review: A dusty, charming Soviet relic about kids and violins

Honestly, unless you are a complete nerd for dusty, forgotten cinema, you should probably skip Udivitelnyy Sad. But if you love simple stories about kids making huge mistakes for the sake of friendship, this weird little black-and-white film is actually kind of charming.

It is definitely not for anyone who needs fast pacing or, you know, high-quality audio that doesn't sound like it was recorded underwater. 🌊

The whole plot kicks off because Yura, this intense-looking kid, decides the best way to help his buddy Lenya is to literally steal a priceless Stradivarius violin.

He snatches it from his own grandfather, who is a violin maker and apparently keeps priceless instruments lying around like old newspapers.

The grandfather's workshop is amazing though. It’s so cluttered with wood shavings and broken necks of violins that you can practically smell the glue through the screen.

When Yura grabs the violin, the camera zooms in on his face so fast it almost goes out of focus. It's a bit clumsy, but I love that raw, imperfect filmmaking.

Then we meet the Professor, who owns the violin. This guy has a beard so massive and wild it deserves its own credit in the cast list. 🧔

You expect him to be furious when he finds out about the theft. Instead, he just sort of shrugs and decides to teach young Lenya how to play.

It is a very sweet twist, even if the transition happens so fast it makes your head spin. One second the kid is a thief, the next he's getting private music lessons from a master.

Some of the acting by the kids is... let's say highly enthusiastic.

Seryozha Laponogov, who plays Lenya, has this habit of staring directly at the camera when he gets nervous. It’s the kind of mistake that makes the movie feel alive and real, not polished to death.

It has that same earnest, rough-around-the-edges vibe you find in other early dramas like Karmelyuk.

Though it definitely lacks the sheer theatrical drama of something like The Forbidden City, which is fine because this is a much smaller, quieter story.

There is this one scene where a random chicken wanders into the shot while the kids are talking. Nobody stops filming, they just let the chicken do its thing in the background. 🐔

It is those tiny, accidental moments that make watching these old films so much fun.

The music, when we actually get to hear the violin playing, is incredibly scratchy.

You have to use your imagination to believe it's a legendary Stradivarius, because to modern ears, it sounds a bit like a cat getting its tail stepped on.

But the passion is there, and you can feel how much the filmmakers cared about this simple tale of redemption.

If you can find a copy with decent subtitles, give it a go on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Just don't expect a masterpiece.