Pal/Secam (2008) User Reviews

Nice Short Worth Checking Out

[Michael_Elliott · 5 February 2010]

Pal/Secam (2008)

*** (out of 4)

Russian short about a young boy whose mother buys a VCR so he uses it to get a girl he likes back to his apartment so that he can lose his virginity. The girl wants alcohol so the boy must get adults to buy it in exchange for them to use the VCR. I had heard a lot of good things about this short and I'm certainly glad I watched it because the thing moves so well and is so realistic that I'm sure many males will really find the thing somewhat touching all too painfully true. Director/Screenwriter Povolotsky does a great job at showing all the embarrassing moments of this type of thing and that includes a wonderful sequence with the two in bed and the boy fumbling everything by not knowing certain things that I won't mention here. The film also has a classic ending that is sure to get a huge laugh. The film takes place in 1985 and also has plenty of funny references about that era including bad disco and the porn/VHS boom.

Perestroika in Moscow, 1985

[UNOhwen · 31 January 2010]

It's 1985. Moscow. Borya, our protagonist, is about 14. He's sitting in his room making a disco mirror-ball. He does a little bit of exercising, while his mother and her friend get ready to go out. While Borya watches Gorbachev on TV explaining Perestroika, his mother leaves - and tells Borya there's some food in the fridge, and to be 'GOOD'.

How many kids at that age have heard that as their folks leave? Borya has a crush on this girl, who makes it clear (when he asks her to spend time with him) that she wants 'champagne.' Borya makes the arrangements using his OWN version of Perestroika - making a deal with his 'questionable' uncle. In exchange for letting him & a friend come and watch porn on Borya's VCR (hence the title - PAL/SECAM - 2 of the TV standards used primarily in Europe, Africa and Asia), they'd bring...'champagne' As Borya's dream-date comes together, everything goes horribly wrong.

This film - while made in Russia, is a a story anyone can relate to. The cast - mostly unknowns are spot-on. I really liked Vladislav Kuznetsov as Borya. He's got a good naturalism to him (and an underdog quality that really makes you root for him). Director Dimitry Povolotsky really captures the life of a young teenager in Moscow during Perestroika. It's both humorous and touching.