Awards: 12 wins & 21 nominations. Production: Under the Milky Way
Apr 12,2016
Contemporary Russia. A high school student becomes convinced that the world has been lost to evil, and begins to challenge the morals and beliefs of the adults around him. Veniamin, a teenager in the midst of a mystical crisis, has his mother, schoolmates and entire high school turned upside down by his questions. - Can girls go to their swimming classes in bikinis? - Does sex education have a place in school? - Should the theory of evolution be taught as part of the Natural Sciences? The adults are soon overwhelmed by the certitudes of the youngster who swears only by Scripture. No one but Elena, his biology teacher, will alone challenge him on his own ground.
| nudity | Full frontal nudity with moderate detail is depicted, albeit justified by context, and not excessive. No close-ups of genitalia are shown. The film contains a sequence, set at a seaside, where a few male and female characters are seen to be fully nude, with their genitalia in view. This would be more appropriate for an older audience. |
| frightening | Set in contemporary Russia, 'The Student' revolves around a high-school student, Venya, who inexplicably develops an obsession with the Bible, which he interprets with a fundamentalist literalness. Seeking to 'cleanse' his school, he begins challenging the morals and beliefs of the adults around him. Elena, his biology teacher, makes it her personal mission to understand and counter Venya's religious dogma. The film explores religious fundamentalism, portraying its dangers when taken to the extreme. It clearly establishes that the protagonist, Venya, is extreme in his religious beliefs as he uses skewed interpretations of biblical verses to support his personal agenda throughout the film. Various characters around Venya are aware of his extremist stance and urge him to desist, including his mother, Inga, and his only friend, Grishna. However, Venya ignores their pleas, stubbornly abiding by his own warped notions of right and wrong. In the end, his extremism causes him to lie and leads to fatal consequences. Given the film's in-depth exploration of religious fundamentalism, the film would be more appropriate for a more mature audience. Official Russia Rating: 18+ |
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