(MOSCOW) – A new Russian patriotic film intended to promote traditional values has failed to draw audiences, with a recent weekday screening attracting just one viewer. The movie follows an irresponsible Russian schoolboy named Ivan who is addicted to Western comics and gadgets until he is transported via a magic chest into the world of Russian fairy tales and traditional culture, where he is reborn as a model citizen.
The film was promoted in the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty through an interview with Russian media personality Dmitri Puchkov, known as Goblin. He criticised Western cultural influence, stating: “If you look at who is raising your children, you will discover they are being brought up by Batman, Spider-Man, and some other scumbags like the Avengers.” He lamented the absence of Russian heroes such as Vasily Chapayev, Marshal Zhukov, and even Grandpa Lenin, adding: “Your children are being raised by Americans.”
Puchkov invoked the fairy tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, warning that if authorities fail to shape young minds, children will follow whatever piper plays. He noted that since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the state has begun active attempts to “shape correctly the mindset of children.”
However, a subsequent attempt to gauge the popularity of the latest Spider-Man film in Moscow revealed a starkly different reality. Despite the lack of official distribution and screening licences, unofficial copies are shown in some cinemas as “pre-screening entertainment” following a short Russian film or cartoon. Approximately 40 people attended an early evening screening on the same day. Additionally, toy shops in Moscow remain stocked with Spider-Man merchandise.
In a contrasting development, acclaimed Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov publicly criticised censorship and the foreign agents law in an interview with a Russian newspaper. He stated: “If we want to survive in this complex world, we must be free.” Sokurov, who has known the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin since their St Petersburg days, expressed concern that his films are again being banned, as in Soviet times. He said: “It is not NATO that threatens Russia. Russia is threatened by Russia itself, which is not afraid to declare a moratorium on development.”
Journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitri Muratov, co-founder of Novaya Gazeta, also spoke out in an interview. He said: “There will never be victory because what has been going on for almost five years, no matter how it ends, can no longer be considered a victory.” He added: “You can destroy it, but you cannot conquer it,” referring to Ukraine. Muratov expressed shock that “people have got used to the losses” and that “a human life counts for nothing.”
In other news, Russia’s papers have taken a sceptical view of Donald Trump after he signed a sweeping Russian sanctions bill into law, giving himself the option of additional economic pressure. An opinion piece in Izvestia noted that Moscow is already thinking ahead to the impact of a potential Republican defeat in the US midterms. The paper stated that Democrats will use an expected victory to strengthen support for Ukraine and fund it through budget programmes, which would be a “horror show” for the Kremlin.
In domestic matters, the price of chicken in Russia rose by 16 percent in August year on year. From 1st October, housing and utility tariffs will rise by between 8 and 22 percent depending on the region. In an unusual medical case, a teacher from Vladimir temporarily forgot Russian after a general anaesthetic, speaking fluent English instead. Doctors were unable to communicate with him until he suddenly switched back to Russian to announce he wanted to go to the toilet.
The Russian newspaper Moskovskii Komsomolets concluded with a joke: “Life is wonderful and amazing. Then why is your eye twitching?” The reply: “It’s twitching from amazement.”
