Ukhaby (1928) - A muddy, honest look at bad life choices

If you have an hour and you don't mind reading some title cards, Ukhaby is actually worth your time. It is for anyone who likes those old stories where people look genuinely stressed out about their own mistakes. If you want something flashy like Tartuffe, you probably won't like this one. This movie is much more about the dirt and the bad decisions.

The story follows a guy named Sergey. He is a worker who decides his wife isn't exciting enough anymore, so he leaves her. He moves on to a new woman in the city, and honestly, you can see the train wreck coming from the very first scene. 🚂

There is this one shot of the first wife, Tanya, just standing by a window. It feels like it lasts forever. Her face looks so tired. It doesn't even feel like acting; she just looks like she hasn't slept in three years.

Sergei Minin plays the husband, and he makes the guy seem so confused. He is not really a villain, he's just dumb. There is a moment where he is eating bread and he looks so angry at the bread for no reason. It made me laugh a little bit.

The title translates to "Potholes" or "Ruts." It is a very literal name for the movie. It is about getting stuck in the mud of your own life. And there is a lot of actual mud in this movie.

The writing comes from Viktor Shklovskiy. Usually, his stuff is pretty high-brow, but this feels very grounded. It is just about people being messy and human. It reminded me a little of the drama in The Deadlier Sex, but way more depressing because it is Soviet.

I noticed the lighting in the factory scenes is super harsh. It makes everyone's skin look like it is made of stone. There is an extra in the background of the pub scene who is definitely looking right at the camera. I wonder if the director noticed that back then.

The ending doesn't really give you a big hug or a clear answer. It just kind of... stops. It's like the movie realized it said enough and just went home. 🏚️

If you liked The Stealers, you might find this interesting too. It is not a "fun" watch, but it feels honest. I think I liked it because it didn't try to look perfect. It felt like someone's actual life, just caught on old film.

Anyway, it's a good pick if you want to see how people were making dramas before everything got so polished. Just don't expect a happy ending where everyone dances.