I. Elizabeth Rives- Tangerines (2013)
II. Mira Wroblewski- Mira's Melodies №2 : Uvula, Nothing Supernatural
III. Ryan Klopp- Farewell to an Eagle: Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement
IV. Fallon O'Malley- Language Learning During COVID
V. Rodrigo Arias- Borat Subsequent Movie Film
VI. Undra Tsend- Aleksei Balabanov’s Brother (1997): Post-Soviet Crisis of Identity
Tangerines (2013)
Elizabeth Rives
For my Russian Media and Culture course this semester, we watched the film Tangerines, which was directed, produced and written by Zaza Urushadze in 2013. I have taken a Russian Cinema course at William & Mary before, but this movie has been my favorite RPSS course film that I’ve seen during my time at William & Mary. This film is set in Abkhazia and addresses the 1992-1993 War between the Georgian government, the Russian government, the Abkhaz separatist forces, and North Caucasian (Chechens) militiants. What struck me about this film in particular was its hero, Ivo, an old ethnic Estonian man who harvests tangerines in a rural village in Abkhazia. His character serves as a peacemaker in every scene that involves conflict between the groups participating in the 1992-1993 War in his village.
All of the characters, Russian military administrators, the Estonian neighbor Margus, and the surviving Chechen Ahmen and Georgian Nika following a fatal moment, find respect and hope within the wise elder Ivo. He chose to stay at his tangerine farm while his family fled to Estonia because he loves the land; however he hardly explicitly talks about himself throughout the film. He rather spends the film handling the bitter arguments and life-threatening situations until the end of the film, perhaps to stand as a symbol for unity against war in the eyes of director Urushadze. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in learning more about the conditions immediately following the collapse of the USSR beyond Russia itself.
Mira Wroblewski
Мелодии Миры №2: Увула, Ничего Сверхъестественного
Mira's Melodies №2: Uvula, Nothing Supernatural
Альбом: Ничего Сверхъестественного
Группа: Увула
Избранная песня: Электрический ток
The band “Uvula” was founded in 2015 in Saint Petersburg by frontman Alexei Avgustovsky, the group’s lead singer and songwriter. Uvula’s founding songs, however, were written not in Saint Petersburg, but near Anapa, where Avgustovsky and future guitarist Sasha Smirnov went hitchhiking, found an isolated spot, set up tents, and held spontaneous guitar jam sessions. This rejection of urban reality was the beginning of Uvula, and the group’s music has maintained this charming and serene feeling throughout its discography. The band composes soft songs with dynamic rhythmic backing, usually about loneliness, escapism, romance, and finding one’s place in the world.
Despite this romantic rejection of urban life, much of Uvula’s growth came from its Vkontakte (VK) page, which now boasts thirty thousand followers. The band maintains an Instagram profile, a Telegram channel, and even a TikTok account, where they post everything from memes to music to their stances on social issues. Throughout Uvula’s diverse posts and ever-changing musical tastes, their fanbase has never wavered. This loyalty inspires the band to keep making music, even when it isn’t the most lucrative option. Most band members have jobs of schoolwork outside of the band; for example, Avgustovsky studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.
Uvula has recently gained enough popularity to no longer be considered an underground band. Most notably, in March 2020 they appeared on Вечерний Ургант (Evening Urgant), Russia’s most popular evening show, to play a song from their most recent album, Ничего Сверхъестественного (nothing supernatural). While this does not necessarily mean they are well-known—even fans were surprised that they landed such a major appearance—this is a large step in their future success.
I’ve selected some lyrics from the song they played on Вечерний Ургант, entitled Электрический ток (Electric current). In the song, the narrator reflects on their relationship with someone and how they negatively view themselves in comparison to an idyllic view of their partner.
Избранный текст песни Электрический токЦитаты:
24SMI. 2018. "Увула". [online] Available at: <https://24smi.org/celebrity/117626-uvula.html>.
Величко, Н., 2020. Алексей Августовский — О Новом ЕР «Увулы», Политике И Одиночестве. [online] The Village. Available at: <https://www.the-village.ru/weekend/weeknd-interview/377347-uvula> [Accessed 12 October 2020].
Farewell to an Eagle: Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement
Ryan Klopp
On October 24th, we witnessed the end of an era in Russian sport. Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Dagestani MMA fighter renowned throughout the world for his devastating grappling and unflinching charisma, announced his retirement at UFC 254 after defeating Justin Gaethje in a one-sided title unification match. “The Eagle”, as he is commonly nicknamed, concluded his career as one of the most dominant athletes in the history of combat sports, finishing with a flawless record of 29-0. Khabib stunned many in the world of MMA when he announced his retirement in the post-fight interview, dedicating his title to the memory of his beloved father Abdulmanap, who passed away in July after contracting COVID-19 while recovering from heart surgery. “No way I’m going to come here without my father… I promised her [his mother] that this is going to be my last fight.”
Khabib’s greatness was not limited to within the Octagon, however- he enjoys veritable rock-star status in Russian pop culture. In 2019, Forbes declared him the “Greatest Russian Athlete” ahead of such luminaries as hockey superstar Alexander Ovechkin and tennis legend Maria Sharapova, and he currently boasts the most Instagram followers of all Russian celebrities at over 24 million.
Throughout his career, Khabib’s athletic prowess brought him both admirers and detractors. He has been widely praised for raising the status of his people both at home and abroad- historically, Dagestani Muslims have experienced both legal and cultural discrimination in Russia, and Khabib became a hero to many across the entire Islamic world when he became the first Muslim to win a UFC title. Conversely, he has been criticized heavily in Western media outlets for his personal friendships with Vladimir Putin and with Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of orchestrating crimes against humanity by numerous human rights organizations. Love him or hate him, it is inarguable that Khabib will be remembered as one of the most influential athletes in MMA history, as well as that rarest of things in the brutal world of combat sports- a king who walked away on his own terms.
Language Learning During COVID
Fallon O'Malley
There have been many challenges in adapting to this condensed fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many professors had to cut back and revise their syllabi to accommodate this fact, while still ensuring that the material they cover under normal circumstances is included. For students, making sure to dedicate the amount of time necessary to do well in coursework and extracurricular activities has been difficult. Additionally, not having a break in the middle of the semester has worried many about student and faculty mental health and wellness. I’ve found that this condensed semester has been most challenging in language learning. This is not due to the amount of coursework in a class, but rather the lack of time that is needed to devote to speaking and practicing a particular language everyday. Being able to review new words, phrases, and constructions frequently is important in building a base vocabulary and applying it in practice.
The absence of our international fellow has been felt strongly among our community and was an essential piece in gaining immersion in the language. For me, attending Russian teas for intermediate students has been very helpful in keeping up with my speaking practice. Additionally, essay-based assignments in class have been beneficial in forcing me to become more creative with my speech. This has also taught me how to use vocabulary effectively in clearly expressing my thoughts and ideas. Moreover, I want to add that the professors have been incredibly understanding and flexible this semester. Their work in developing new schedules and activities for the students has made the process much more bearable and less intimidating from the outset. I hope that in the spring, with the return of the normal length semester, there will be an opportunity to devote more time to classwork and language acquisition.
Illustration by Undra Tsend
Borat Subsequent Film
Rodrigo Arias
It has been 14 years since Sacha Baron Cohen, SBC, has graced the world withthe release of the original Borat film. In it, a supposed Kazakh journalist comes to the United States to create a documentary--or rather a mockumentary. If you have seen the film then you would know that this mockumentary rather than poking fun at Kazakhstan, exposes how open Americans were to racist, anti-semitic messages. Since then no one expected SBC to suddenly release another Borat film, especially now in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and not too long before the American presidential election.
The basic premise of the film is that Borat Sagdiyev and his daughter, Tutar who played by Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, are sent to the United States to give a gift to one of President Trump’s closest allies. This gift would then let Kazakhstan’s premier, Nursultan Nazarbayev--who is played by someone who looks nothing like him-- to gain entry into the “world strongmen club”. Of course, while in America, Borat and his daughter do many shenanigans that make the unknowing people around them incredibly uncomfortable and make the audience cringe and laugh.
The most repugnant part of the film is when Borat’s daughter is able to get an interview with former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliuani. Unbeknownst to the former mayor, the hotel room to which he is being taken to has hidden cameras everywhere. After the supposed interview, Rudy Giuliani is taken to the bedroom where Borat’s daughter helps him to undress. The strangest moment was when Rudy Giuliani sticks his hands down his pants and begins moving it around in what appears to be him fondling himself. America’s favorite mayor, after the release of the film, denies that characterization of the event despite the footage.
Be warned, however, like its predecessor, Borat Subsequent Movie Film contains a lot of vulgarity, nudity, inappropriate behavior, etc. While on the surface the film is a funny, gross mockumentary, it of course has another layer of meaning. Like his previous film, SBC once again brings a mirror to America. By pretending to be an clueless foreign journalist, the people he interacts with tend to not have their guard up and say what they really believe in no matter how racist, sexist, or politically incorrect it is. The film ends with a satisfying conclusion as well as with a message about the importance of going out to vote.
Aleksei Balabanov’s Brother (1997): Post-Soviet Crisis of Identity
Undra Tsend
Brother (1997) is a post-Soviet neo-noir film directed by Aleksei Balabanov under the production of STV Film Company. Showing the grungy, crime-laden realities of a city once prosperous, the film takes a stab at post-Soviet Russia in a state of identity crisis. Although the film was shot utilizing an inexpensive budget, it rose to popularity after release and the company was able to rake in hefty profits. The neo-noir genre in Brother highlights the aesthetics of crisis after a transition from a Soviet nation to some other form of statehood that evolved from a glorifying past of historical pride to one of common anxiety about what it means to be Russian at the end of the 20th century using a new cinematic language. The genre’s crime gangster aspect in an urban environment set in St. Petersburg, a rather historical city, illustrates the loss of historical, paternal grandeur and illuminates a rather pessimistic view of the world as the characters interact with each other. The main character, Danila, is neither abhorrent nor empty as he simply exists in a plane of existence that is allotted to him in the cultural economy of the post-Soviet era, one that lacks clear identity and tugs at the importance of brotherhood during a time of crisis.
In regards to editing, the use of parallelism in the film illustrates the dangers of using either brotherhood or national identity as a basis for moral judgment. Fatherlessness and the inadequacy of the father figure that Danila’s older brother Viktor provides hint at the idea that blood relations do not fix the need for a true sense of belonging. The lighting is quite grungy in an almost orange-like vignette and the camera pans on an eye-level only, preventing the viewers from spectating anywhere above what the characters see. They exist surrounded by material blocks devoid of aerial views, indicating the loss of “wings” that could have removed one from a crime-laden environment. Without these “wings”, the main character is stuck in a place that not only disturbs his internal peace but also his conscience rather unknowingly. Moreover, under a strong orange vignette lighting, the camera at times follows the main protagonist and does not steer away from an eye-level shot, never panning to the sky or showing a shot from a birds-eye view. The main character is grounded in the sense that he cannot venture far away and outside this suffocating environment. The sound used in this film is derived mostly from songs produced by the band Nautilius Pompilius, a rock band that released a new wave of Russian rock music that adorned nostalgic philosophical lyrics. The lyrics also mention the “wings” and it’s played at the beginning of the film which later instills the understanding that Danila’s longing to leave the violent material world but is unable to due to fraternal ties supported by unconditional loyalty to a state that no longer exists. There’s moral and stylistic ambiguity in the sense that there is no right or wrong but various experiences that show the consequences of dangerous fraternal loyalty that cloak itself under the guise of heroic nationalism. The role of the invocations of the Russian people and family ties play an important role in Danila’s involvement in crime in the first place as Viktor’s appeal for brotherly love and patriotism at the macro level come to light as a convenient fiction. Besides the tension between the characters, there is still a lingering sense of aimless barrenness amidst a world of chaos.
All in all, the low budget neo-noir film Brother goes into depth about the state of crisis in a grungy crime-laden post-Soviet environment and the exploration of niche subjects that were generated from that specific environment.
Illustration by Undra Tsend