Zhenitba Zhana Knukke: A strange, frantic Soviet fever dream

Is it worth your time?

Look, if you need a tidy three-act structure or characters who make sensible decisions, steer clear. But if you have a soft spot for silent-era comedy energy mixed with that specific, slightly gritty Soviet aesthetic, you’ll probably have a blast. It’s not for the casual viewer who wants a polished night in, but for the weirdo who digs through archives? It's a goldmine.

The film moves at a pace that suggests the director was afraid the camera would run out of film at any second. Yakov Gudkin is doing so much heavy lifting with his eyebrows alone. Every time he’s on screen, he looks like he’s trying to solve a complex math equation while someone is poking him in the ribs.

There’s this one sequence in a parlor room where the blocking gets so crowded it feels like a clown car act. I counted four people trying to stand in the same two-foot patch of floor space, and honestly, it’s hilarious. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Peculiar Penguins, just with more suits and fewer birds.

Oddly specific observations:

• The lighting in the hallway scene is absolute trash, but it somehow makes the whole thing feel more authentic.
• I swear the actor in the background is trying not to laugh during the big proposal moment. Watch his mouth.
• The pacing is erratic. You get a slow, creeping dialogue scene followed by twenty seconds of pure, unadulterated running.

Is the story good? Maybe? It’s hard to tell when the whole thing feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and sheer willpower. There's a certain charm to that, though.

It definitely doesn't reach the level of, say, Queen Christina in terms of production value, but it has a pulse. It’s got a weird, frantic heartbeat. Sometimes I think modern directors try too hard to be smooth. Here, they just let the frame crack.

There’s a moment near the middle where a door slams, and it echoes way too long. It sounds like a gunshot. It’s probably a mistake, but I loved it. It kept me awake. Don't overthink it. Just watch it for the weird little moments that don't belong in a 'serious' movie.