James Croot Reviews Russian Snark -

Tired of being unappreciated and misunderstood, veteran Russian filmmaker Misha (Stephen Papps) casts himself adrift from his homeland and set sail for pastures new.

Accompanied by his partner and muse Nadia (Elena Stejko), he washes up in Auckland and is instantly enamoured with the rugged locales and friendly locals. However, recruiting Kiwis and finances for his “art films” proves difficult and even Nadia is beginning to tire of Misha’s methods and beliefs that “narrative is for children” and “to make art one must endure a little discomfort”. “You’re not the one who has to lie on sharp rocks,” she snaps.

Part of the collective febrile mind behind early Peter Jackson pics Brain Dead and Meet the Feebles, Stephen Sinclair makes his feature film directorial debut with this eccentric, eclectic but ultimately actually quite engaging Kiwi black comedy. Although filled with familiar settings (especially to those who saw An Insatiable Moon last year) and faces (which include former Shortland Streeters Rene Naufahu, Stephanie Tauveihi and Greg Johnson, Russian Snark is far removed from recent cuddly Kiwi comedies like Love Birds or Second Hand Wedding.

With its minimalist, atmospheric soundtrack and arty black and white imagery and lashings of “artistic” nudity (which even includes the striking Stejko performing a striptease in national costume) it has more in common with the works of Florian Habicht than this country’s more mainstream, multiplex-friendly fare.

However, strip back Misha’s visual and visceral excesses and Snark is a Python-esque comedy that isn’t afraid to take the mickey out of both Kiwi and Russian serious art. The Piano is beautifully skewered in an over-the-top beach shoot, while that much-celebrated glasnostic-insomnia cure Russian Ark is parodied not only in the title but also in the sheer pretentiousness of Misha’s work.

As he himself says. “Art should not always be serious. It should be like life. Life is God’s joke.”