Extremist
Rating: 4.5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Political art is very prevalent in our world today. When a decision is made in politics, not everyone will agree with what is being enforced, prompting artists to make a statement about it and protest against the politicians who brought the change forward. In America, we are lucky enough to be able to have that freedom of speech (for the most part), allowing not only artists to have a say on what is going on in our world, but to allow everyone else in the nation decide on how we should perceive certain political stances. Unfortunately, not everyone has that same right, which is the basis of Alexander Molochnikov's short film, Extremist. While I do wish the short film was just a little longer to really give the viewer more context of artist Sasha Skochilenko and her relationship with Sonya Subbotina, I think Molochnikov's does a fantastic job of presenting this terrifying truth about the Russian judicial system and how their citizens are treated throughout the country.
Based on the true story. Sasha Skochilenko was sent to prison for changing the price tags on items at a grocery store to protest the war that was starting to break out. Yes, you read that right: she was sent to prison for only changing price tags in protest. She didn't do anything to harm anyone, yet the Russian citizen who noticed the change and the Russian police believe otherwise. There is no doubt in my mind that Sasha was wrongly imprisoned, and Molochnikov does a great job of showing that throughout his film.
We get a glimpse of the characters of Sasha and Sonya, as well as the state of Russia during this time. We see the terrifying imagery of the prisons there, including a disturbing scene of a woman beating beaten to get information out of her. When the movie concluded, I did find myself wanting just a little bit more from the story and the characters. I think the film would have benefited from being a tad longer to really show the characters of Sasha and Sonya, showing more of them capturing art in the forest with those who are also protesting against the war, and maybe capture just a little bit more of their relationship. However, with that being said, the rest of the film hauntingly shows what Russia is unfortunately like now. They are arresting citizens for no apparent reason, and claiming they feel threatened by them. I also think the inclusion of the fact that they are part of the LGBTQ+ community as a factor for Galina's (Liliyan Malkina) changing opinion about them was a great touch, showing how regressed the rest of the world is compared to other nations.
I think Viktoriya Miroshnichenko and Tinatin Dalakishvili, who played Sasha and Sonya respectively, do an amazing job of embodying these real-life artists and activists. Not only do they have great chemistry with one another, but I think they both do an excellent job of giving these characters emotional layers that play out throughout the movie; they are simply two young women in love who are just trying to make a point artistically in this political climate. I especially find Miroshnichenko's delivery of the climatic monologue at the end of the film, known as the "last word" before sentencing, both very moving and hard to watch. Her character is being wrongfully imprisoned for an act that shouldn't even be considered a crime, and those emotions play through in her performance.
At the same time, the directing from Molochnikov and the writing from Mikhail Durnenkov work very well with the cinematography and creative choices in this film. There is a lot to be disturbed by in this film, from the scene where the two women pass the army in the field to the hostile conditions of the jail. But. Molochnikov juxtaposes it with the freedom that all artists should be guaranteed, such as when they are capturing their anti-war statement in the forest and being able to have fun with their peers. This is beautifully shown in a segment in the middle of the film, before everything turns upside down for young Sasha. Molochnikov shows us an experience all should have, but unfortunately only few around the world truly get.
I think the film is summed up perfectly by executive producer Ben Stiller in a conversation he had with Molochnikov about the film. He said that as an American, it is hard to understand the concept of being able to make an artistic statement and having to deal with the severe consequences of it. That is exactly what happened to Sasha here. While in America, free speech allows us to make those statements, it is hard to imagine being jailed or worse just because you have a differing opinion than the politicians of that country. Molochnikov left a haunting statement on how he feels about the artistic climate in Russia at this time, and it is one that everyone needs to see to understand the real world ramifications of artists in different sections of the world.
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