Telling three peoples stories that meet in a late night bar "4" shows two different sides of contemporary Russia. Moscow, which stands as a symbol for modernism, globalism and Russia's post soviet present and future, and a village outside Moscow in the countryside where the "old" Russia is at home. A small population of village people is trying to survive by selling hand made puppets to unnamed buyers. Along with the story of one of the people in the bar who unwillingly shares a flat with his age old father this major part of the film deals with Russia's post war generation who is left to age and die unable to be of any more use to modern Russia anymore, masterfully visualized by portraying father and son in a master - servant relationship in another of the film's episodes.
The abandoned old generation, defunct families and the refusal and alienation of the younger generation with its elders traditions are one of the major topics of Chetyre. The extreme length and detail and explicity in which certain scenes are shot make this film tough to watch for some people. Russia is going through a tragic change. The film reflects this change in its use of sometimes painfully repetitive or over length narrative and the sheer excessiveness of some scenes. Nevertheless these elements fulfill it's purpose of delivering a social commentary that will make the audiences think long after the curtains have been lowered.
Rough, brutal and politically incorrect and a testament to Russias volatile times shown from the stand point of a young Russian generation that refuses the old set of rules and struggles to find its own values. Incredibly strong in some instances I consider this film as equally powerful and provocative a piece as Eisenstein's Tankship Potjemkin could have been in it's time. A brave movie that is meant to stimulate and polarize.
The abandoned old generation, defunct families and the refusal and alienation of the younger generation with its elders traditions are one of the major topics of Chetyre. The extreme length and detail and explicity in which certain scenes are shot make this film tough to watch for some people. Russia is going through a tragic change. The film reflects this change in its use of sometimes painfully repetitive or over length narrative and the sheer excessiveness of some scenes. Nevertheless these elements fulfill it's purpose of delivering a social commentary that will make the audiences think long after the curtains have been lowered.
Rough, brutal and politically incorrect and a testament to Russias volatile times shown from the stand point of a young Russian generation that refuses the old set of rules and struggles to find its own values. Incredibly strong in some instances I consider this film as equally powerful and provocative a piece as Eisenstein's Tankship Potjemkin could have been in it's time. A brave movie that is meant to stimulate and polarize.