Movie Review - Siberia and Him

Think Brokeback Mountain (2005) but only set in Russia and way more bleak of an ending. The comparisons to the 2005 Oscar winner have to do with aesthetic reasons. The landscapes captured in this film by writer-director Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy in his feature debut are akin to the landscapes captured by Ang Lee. Kopturevskiy prefers long, continuous takes, usually wide shots of his two protagonists traveling across a vast vista, typically a valley with beautiful mountain ranges looming in the background. Like the characters in the 2005 hit, the area either within or near the mountains represent a respite from what is a closeted life. It's basically a place where two men can go to be alone and be romantic or basically have sex.

Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy himself stars as Sasha. If this were Brokeback Mountain, he would be Jake Gyllenhaal's character of Jack Twist. Except, he has no interest in getting involved with a woman. He has no interest in getting involved with anything. Whereas Jack Twist made plans to break away and try to live some kind of life, Sasha has all but given up. He has no hope and is seemingly depressed. He's also practically suicidal. One thing that Kopturevskiy does that is perhaps intentional is that his character seems constantly pestered, if not swarmed with flies. It's almost as if Sasha is already dead and the flies are attracted to his carcass. Yet, flies pop up distinctively with others, so maybe Kopturevskiy is making a larger point with them, not just in regards to his character.

Ilya Shubochkin co-stars as Dima. If this were Brokeback Mountain, he would be Heath Ledger's character of Ennis Del Mar. He's not a cowboy or a rancher. He's instead a police officer. He's married to a woman. He doesn't have any children, though there's probably pressure for him to have some. It's not clear at first, but he is secretly in a relationship with Sasha, though it seems whatever there is between them has been stopped or put on hold. It feels as though the two haven't been together in a long while, secretly or otherwise. This is probably due to the fact that as a police officer, Dima has been overseeing the raids of bars and nightclubs where men and women have been arrested, charged with being gay.

Outside of the Middle East and most Muslim countries, Russia is one of the most homophobic places on Earth. While it's technically not illegal to be gay in Russia, since 2013 when a propaganda law or anti-gay law when into effect, it's only empowered the government to crack down more, as well as increased hate crimes against LGBTQ people. Sadly, Dima has to be apart of the government cracking down side, which means he has to go against his own people in public and in front of his family. This obviously causes a lot of fear and turmoil for him. He probably put a pause on his relationship with Sasha as a result, though this is just speculation, as there isn't that much dialogue between Dima and Sasha.

A large chunk of this film is the road trip they take through the countryside, camping in their version of "Brokeback Mountain." Sometimes, they are able to stay in small towns, renting rooms and whatnot. Their goal is to trek to Dima's grandmother's home to check on her. The trek provides them though with the opportunity to be alone and romantic with each other. It's a release and a relief for them, but they know it's only temporary. Despite the beautiful scenery, and the bright images, there is an air of melancholy that feels like desperation, as if this opportunity is probably going to be their last to be alone and romantic before they have to go back to their trapped and stifling lives.

A companion film could be HBO's Welcome to Chechnya (2020), which gives an idea of the horror that gay people face in that part of the world. For some, they feel as though they can escape or in fact have to escape. For others, they feel as though they can't. That's who this film was seemingly made to represent.

Not Rated but contains nudity and sexual situations.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 12 mins.

Available on Dekkoo.