Film Archive

The Bull

East of the West - Competition 2019 / Byk / Russia 2019

Gang leader Anton Bykov, known as the Bull, ends up at the police station after a scuffle with a rival criminal group. He only manages to avoid prison thanks to the intervention of a feared mafia boss, who nevertheless asks him to pull off a risky job in return. A taut feature debut from one-time ballet dancer Boris Akopov, surprising for its maturity and compulsive dynamism.

Synopsis

At the end of the 1990s Russia is finding it tough to get back on its feet after the breakup of the USSR – the country is ravaged by economic and moral decay, a fact reflected in the proliferation of local criminal gangs. The leader of one such group, a young guy known as the Bull, ends up at the police station after a scuffle with a rival mob. He only manages to avoid prison thanks to the intervention of a feared mafia boss, who nevertheless asks him to pull off a risky job in return. Former ballet dancer and graduate of VGIK Boris Akopov offers up an exceptionally mature feature debut, a taut drama whose energetic soundtrack, compulsive narrative rhythm and raw performances faithfully capture the hostile spirit of post-Soviet Russia.

Natalia Kozáková

About the film

99 min / Color, DCP
International premiere
Director Boris Akopov / Screenplay Boris Akopov / Dir. of Photography Gleb Filatov / Music Boris Akopov, Anton Bulle / Editor Boris Akopov / Art Director Nikita Evglevsky / Producer Fedor Popov, Vladimir Malyshev / Production VGIK – Debut / Cast Yuri Borisov, Stasya Miloslavskaya / Contact VGIK - Debut