Fireworks Logo

Trailers...

  • Bookish
  • Hurt
  • Mysterious Behaviors
  • Snare of Evil
  • Cuidadoras
  • First Lady (The)
  • Noah's Arc: The Movie
  • Franklin
  • Thunderbolts*
  • Beneath the Scar: A Story of Resilience
  • Krishna Arjun
  • Eva i Bea
  • Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus
  • Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole (A)
  • Only Good Things
  • Transaction
  • Lioness
  • On the Streets (of Lagos)
  • Then & Now
  • Christmas Reunion (A)
  • Songs Inside
  • We Exist
  • Side Effects
  • Loulou
  • Murderbot
  • VIH: La causa justa
  • Teacher's Pet
  • More Perfect Union (A)
  • Next to Us
  • I Was Born This Way
  • Hal & Harper
  • State of Firsts
  • Outerlands
  • Secret Lives of My Three Men (The)
  • Latter-Day Glory: The Aftermath of Growing Up Queer in the LDS Church
  • Monk in Pieces
  • Flamingo Camp
  • Lurker
  • Wicked: For Good
  • Kiss of the Spider Woman

Komrades & Birch

Country: Russia | Canada, Language: Russian | English, 94 mins

Original Title

Kameraden
  • Director: Steve Kokker

CGiii Comment

Komrades:

Take a great subject and give it to a self-indulgent wanker and this is what you get - Kokker is that wanker - he has the name for it.

His self-penned narrative is lacking in insight and information.

The camera work is shambolic - amateur and irrelevant for the most part.

It looks as if it was filmed on a cell phone - and, if it was - then, it's no excuse for subjecting us to this lack of professionalism.

The film is intercut with archive footage - too much - due to the lack of Kokker's imagination and skill.

There is also something rather suspicious about the whole thing - it would be too easy to question the integrity of the whole film simply down to Kokker's questions:

Are you the kind of guy who cares if his hair is just right?

WHAT A RIDICULOUS QUESTION to ask a naval cadet.

If the subject of the film really knew the intent of the film-maker they would not have been so obliging.

This is horrific documentary-making, Kokker has done nothing more - let this trend continue. INSIPID and not wholly genuine.

Watch 100 Days Before the Command and Potemkin - for true film-making talent.


Birch

The boy is beautiful.

Kokker is vile.

A truly repugnant form of grooming.


No trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

Interviews with naval and military cadets in Russia explores such topics as male-bonding, hazing, patriotism, brotherhood and alcohol abuse.