perica-43151 This is one rich movie of one of the most respected Russian directors of the turn of the millennium (Cargo 200, Brother 1 and 2), in his most stylistic edition.The movie has a Dostoevskian feel to it, and is extremely cynical. A psychopathic and art producing pimp and his menacing henchmen, his evil murderous sister, a corrupt girl and adulterous wife meeting their fate, a seemingly innocent but ultimately plagiarizing thief of a youth, a pervert maid and dirty old nanny, an alcoholic perverted kid who has a Siamese brother, perhaps one of the only three moral characters, who are all met or faced with death, all inhabit this fictional universe. Unloved unselfish husband and famous doctor, a good engineer with a weak heart and several other characters die or are offed in most leisurely and fun ways. This bleak but realistic portrayal of the human condition is a reflection of the Yeltsin perverted era in which this masterpiece was produced. The movie is very reflective and well done. It has a well placed and impeccably paced misanthropy for which the now deceased director is famous, director who despite of his immense talent, probably rots in Hell. Not because he is necessarily evil, but because he is exactly the kind of amusing character Devil would like to have a company of. He feels quite at home there, if indeed there is such a place, observing the inhabitants of doom with the same detached amusement and artistic wit he demonstrated aptly in his cinematic gems.

GertrudeStern At first I thought, "This is going to be nothing like Brat!", but then I realized I was pretty wrong. As a very big fan of Brat, I was happy to see that Pro urodov i lyudey continued Balabanov's tradition of profiling shady figures and their nasty dealings without looking away.The film, which is shot entirely in sepia tone, revolves around two nefarious men, their connection to an underground world of pornographic delights (delights for the audiences, not the performers), and their impact on people who would rather be excluded from that world. You guessed it: no one escapes purity intact.Johann is the character of most interest. He rarely smiles, except for when he is brought a treasure that is sure to enchant those with an appetite for the curious -- a set of thriving conjoined twins who sing in harmony while playing the accordion.I would not put this one on for super PC friends or people who are not interested in things that are mildly grotesque.

kril10 Alexei's Balabanov's Of Freaks of Men was a quite strange yet interesting viewing experience. The film mechanics and overall setting seemed to contradict the content that was being portrayed, perhaps to construct a novel "Balabanov" perspective. For instance, the use of pre- Revolutionary Tsarist Russia as a setting, complete with bourgeois colonnade backdrops and 19th century luxuries and proprieties, to display an underground pornography business that slowly takes over the lives of the main characters was quite an unexpected juxtaposition. The use of "brown-screen" (black and white?), intertitles, and classical music further strengthened this divide, almost making it seem like the organized crime of Balabanov's Brother 2 existed and was captured on film in the early days of cinema!There are several ways one can interpret this artistic leap. One interesting perspective is to view the decline of the doctor's and engineer's Bourgeois families at the hands of the exploiting Johann as yet another example of the failure of Capitalism in the eyes of a Communist. The fathers of the two families made their money in a hog- eat-hog Capitalistic world, and their children (Tolya/Kolya and Liza respectively) ended up being used by a bigger Capitalist hog, Johann the pornographer. An alternative view would be a demonstration of how post- Soviet Russian organized crime was not an artifact of that particular era, and that it existed underground since before even Communism. That would have turned the movie into a nationalistic excuse for the deterioration that occurred in Russia after Gorbachev. Although other views can be constructed, I feel like this movie was nevertheless a very successful and creative experiment on Balabanov's part. He has captured the new in the style of the very old to create a unique movie.

Joe M Of Freaks and Men is a bizarre but nonetheless fascinating period film set in turn-of-the- century Saint Petersburg. The most immediately noticeable quality of the film is its unique style. Set almost entirely in sepia tone, the film includes dialogue and a full soundtrack wrapped around silent-era title cards. Freaks does not merely comply with the dress and verbiage of late Tsarist Russia–it truly feels old. The story itself, however, is certainly not the stuff of early Russian film. The morbid tale of Johann, the impossibly cold, seemingly emotionless, and sometimes murderous pornography kingpin, breaking apart and exploiting two families for the production of smutty photographs and videos, is far more representative of contemporary themes in Russian film of the late 1990s. It portrays an outdated "dark reality" as if the cinema of the time had been willing to do, with a morbid twist. Johann's unflinching homicides as a matter of momentary convenience, an old "nanny" beating nude women with a switch, and a maid exposing herself to her Siamese-twin charges behind her employer's back all contribute to the films taboo, yet darkly humorous air. The humor is not so easily found in the plight of Johann's subjects, who through a series of legal and illicit dealings have been left at his mercy. The innocent young Leeza, so excited to receive new music records at the beginning of the film, is reduced to posing naked for sadist pornography. The talented Siamese twin brothers, nurtured by an enlightened and loving father, perform for crowded theaters as "freaks." None, however, can escape Johann, a state of imprisonment that is reflected in Of Freaks and Men's cinematic style. The dull sepia tone traps the story in shades of brown, a muddy state that traps the palette between the bright hues of color and the crispness of black-and-white. The settings are also largely indoors, and the cautious opening and closing of doors is the focus of several shots, implying that nothing inside is supposed to escape. The film even feels imprisoned in time, as events like Johann's calling for "Nanna" and the arrival and departure of the train that is perpetually refueling outside Leeza's window repeat themselves prominently and seemingly without end.Unlike many films of the Soviet era, it is difficult to interpret Of Freaks and Men. It is not a story of hope, but its surprisingly light atmosphere and ending render it not quite one of despair either. Nor does it make an obvious judgment on society in pre-Revolutionary Russia. The twisted money-grabbing tendencies of Johann may well be a finger pointed at Russia's new upper class, whose wealth is as dirty as that earned from exploitation and smut. This is not a film for all tastes, but its highly creative style and cinematography, and unique subject matter make it extremely interesting, even for the faint of heart.