"Unclenching his fists" is worth seeing about a girl with no rights. And that's why

On September 25, Kira Kovalenko's film "Unclenching his fists" was released in Russia. Only the second full-length work of the student of Alexander Sokurov is difficult for perception: the picture was shot in the Ossetian language, and most of the main roles were played by non-professional actors. However, this did not prevent the film from taking the main prize in the "Unusual Look" program of the Cannes Film Festival, beating both the experienced Dustin Chon and the famous compatriot Alexei German Jr.

The film Unclenching His Fists, which criticizes patriarchy and domestic violence, might seem to target a narrow audience. But in fact, this is both a very personal and all-encompassing drama, which reveals conflicts that literally everyone understands.

Unfortunately, even in Moscow and St. Petersburg, "Unclenching his fists" is only shown in some cinemas once a day. Still, the picture is worth seeing for everyone. It may not be easy to endure, though.

A bland story of violence

Ada lives with her father Zaur and young brother Dakko in a small Ossetian town. The girl works in a shop and helps around the house. And in her free time, she runs to the bus stop, waiting for the eldest son of the Akim family to arrive. It is not just a matter of kinship affection. My brother once fled to Rostov, but promised to return and take Ada. After all, she needs treatment, and her father does not want to let her go. But when Akim appears, things only get more complicated.

"Unclenching his fists" in its tie subtly deceives the viewer. After all, the easiest way would be to show the viewer a typical story about parental control and patriarchal orders: an evil tyrant father, supporting his sons and a humiliated suffering girl.

But Kovalenko, clearly inheriting the style of Sokurov, does not represent exaggerated stereotypes, but real people in all their ambiguity. In the first scenes, Ada's life seems quite normal. She flirts slightly with the funny young man Tamik, and Zaur smiles a lot during dinner and speaks very softly.

This is precisely the main and most terrible component of the picture. Indeed, tyranny is always covered by care. As long as the interests of the owner do not conflict with the desires of the victim. Therefore, the father can ask the children about their affairs and mood, pat them on the head. But he will always keep the key to the front door with him.

Moreover, the tape diligently bypasses any slogans that sometimes slipped even in Kantemir Balagov's "Tightness" with a similar plot (screenwriter Anton Yarush worked on both films). The film is all about ambiguity, and even Ada's actions will often contradict each other, not to mention the rest of the characters. But the fact is that this is not a story about the struggle for freedom (it’s not for nothing that the title is not banal “Clenching fists”), but about being lost. Not about the choice, but about the deprivation of the opportunity to make it.

All the heroes seem to be not evil people, but they are disfigured by this world, Ada - and at all in the most literal physical sense. How to live differently, they simply do not understand and can only get out by touch, stumbling at every step. It seems that Akim did it once. But returning to the parental home shows that it is too difficult to go against the original attitudes.

The parallels between the physical and the emotional are everywhere. The mantra is the phrase "You will be whole" - this is how the brother calms Ada. But everyone understands that it is not only about treatment, but also about life without shackles. The very ones into which the hands of the father, reduced by the disease, have become. And even the strong embraces of the brothers do not so much protect and warm as stifle.

The worst thing is that many people sincerely consider this behavior to be love. There is no violence and beatings here, for the whole film they will not show a single frankly cruel scene. But there is doom, hopelessness and constant shame. And this not only takes away all the strength, but also makes you voluntarily give up the opportunity to free yourself.

It is this subtext, given the seemingly locality of the narrative, that makes Unclenching Fists a film understandable in any country. This is the darkest and harshest rebuke to those who still say about cases of domestic violence: “Why didn't you leave?”. An explanation that not only will you physically fail to run, but also nowhere. And most importantly, there is nowhere to come from the knowledge that this is generally real.

The mystery of women's problems

In one of the scenes, the charming Tamik will almost proudly show the main character the wounds on his body: a nail scar, a bruise from a fall and other marks that many have. In response to this, Ada, in a too calm tone, will tell about the tragedy that happened to her. A couple of quiet phrases, from which everything inside will get colder.

Perhaps, in one moment, not only the whole horror of her life is reflected, but also the global problem of attitudes towards women in many countries. If you look closely at the behavior of the characters, you can see that even the most positive of them simply do not hear Hell. “Now you and I are the same,” she will say to a person who has lost the ability to speak. Men resolve issues among themselves, and even wanting to help, they act as it seems right to them. The girl's only task is to be quiet and obedient. She has no personal space that her father, brother, boyfriend will not invade.

But even worse, the heroine has to hide her discomfort and injuries all her life. Moreover, when Ada, already frankly falling into hysterics, starts knocking on the doors of her neighbors (no one will open, and this is another simple and very strong metaphor), her brother will only care about a decent appearance.

“What others think” will remain more important than the emotions of a loved one. It is impossible for someone to notice conflicts in the family, you cannot talk about intimate problems. The shame imposed on the victim and the deprivation of his individuality become the main trouble. This not only allows violence to exist, but also makes it the norm.

Life instead of staging

Kovalenko speaks about such disruptive topics in the only possible cinema language - extremely realistic. And in this, of course, the legacy of the work of Alexander Sokurov is felt again. Although earlier it seemed that after "Sofichka" and "Tightness" his students would not be able to show more sincerity.

But "Unclenching his fists" goes into complete naturalism. The theme of the film emerged from the personal memories of Kovalenko, who was born in Nalchik and put echoes of a difficult relationship with her father into the plot. Most of the cast was cast from amateurs to make the action feel staged. By the way, I want to believe that Milana Aguzarova, who played Adu, has a great future in cinema: she is incredibly natural. And even the language of the narration was changed to Ossetian (obviously having lost a considerable part of the audience), since the artists were better revealed precisely in scenes with their native speech.

It is equally important that for all the elegance and accuracy of the operator's work, the picture is completely devoid of the authors' self-admiration. The only really "cinematic" trick is the abundance of red tones in the scenes of car trips. The rest of the time, even the color scheme is as natural as possible. Taking long shots, the camera creates a sense of presence within the scene itself, making the audience an indifferent witness to the conflict. Which can also be considered a metaphorical, but fair accusation: there are a lot of the same passers-by around the heroes, and no one ever tries to help.

That is why the abrupt change in pitch in the last minutes literally blows up the screen. A frantically twitching defocused camera without a stabilizer turns the viewer into a participant in a crazy ride that puts the final point in Ada's story. Even these three minutes in front of the screen is not easy to endure. And someone has similar emotions all their lives.

Unclenching His Fists is a great example of Russian auteur cinema. Sincere, freshly presented and sharp topics. One can only be glad that the bold picture was awarded an international prize, and wish Kira Kovalenko new projects. Indeed, for all its rudeness and gloom, this story is not aimed at offending any part of the audience. It not only allows you to learn about the problems of people who have been restricted in their rights, but also helps to show empathy, to understand at least part of the victim's emotions. And this is no less important than the story of the facts themselves.