about him or how he did not fear the bear (w&d nariné mkrtchyan, arsen azatyan)

Another film from the fringes of the former Soviet republic, describing, as the none-too-subtle title makes clear, the relationship of Armenia with present day Russia. The film’s opening titles state that it is based on a true story. A Russian soldier runs amok and kills an entire Armenian family. He then flees and seeks refuge in a Russian army base. The film follows three men who seek to go about the process of revenge by killing the soldier, one of them a priest. There is use of actual documentary footage, presumably taken from the protests that occurred at the time of the incident. There’s some stunning scenery in the mountains. There’s a near ten minute steady cam shot to open the film. There’s fruitful use of a children’s dance performance, complete with dancing bear, interspliced into the action. In short there’s plenty of lovely moments and promising ideas, but never enough to create a film that really grips the attention.