Attraction (2017)

Russian sci-fi. Yeah I didn't have a clue either. I don't know much about Russian cinema in general but for some reason scifi wouldn't have been at the forefront. Which really, when you think about it, is silly. Russians go to space guys, they've been to space, they sent a dog to space, why wouldn't they have an interest in space and science fiction. 

ANYWAY. Attraction (2017) follows a small group of people in Russia, reacting to an alien ship crash landing in their city. Our protagonist Yulya, played by Irina Starshenbaum, is a classic teenager, has a loving best friend, sex driven bad boy boyfriend and very strict father. She's ready for revenge when the crash kills many citizens so she ventures into the quarantined area with her boyfriend and co to start a fight. After getting into some trouble that only an alien can help her with she has a change of heart, cleans him up and takes him home.  Stanard fish out of water, new experiences alien to him until he can be taken back home. 

Now I'm happy to watch foreign films, some of my favourites films are not English speaking. But I will say that sometimes, that barrier, makes it a little bit more difficult to judge the acting. Some of the cast seemed cliche, for example, nerdy boy who just so happens to be super interested in the subject at hand, just happens to be able to help the leading lady for no cost but her attention and just happens to be low key really vital. His performance was still sweet and he had one of the few comic relief moments though I do wonder if his performance was dampered by my language barrier. 

The protagonist was good, not too whiney of a teenage girl which we often get. Her boyfriend Artyom, played by Alexander Petrov, a good looking guy who from what I gather is relatively popular in Russia. His character is a bit drastic, goes from charming to a bit aggressive to just genuinely deranged. Again I feel like some parts of his dialogue weren't particularly original but he did have a good monologue towards the end that was somewhat captivating. Rinal Mukhametov, plays the alien, who's given multiple names. Who again, appears to be reasonably successful in Russia as well as being good looking. I think he played alien relatively well, it's hard to convey not human when you look human. Overall alright cast, definitely some potential and definitely some people I will look out for. 

The CGI was good, again didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the direction they went with the style of the aliens, the armour and the ship. It looked great against the large industrial style estates. The sound was fun, there's particular scene where Yulya take the alien to a gig to keep him hidden and the sound is fantastic for that. Granted part might just be because it's interesting to me to hear Russian music but the songs used were fitting and bold. 

It laid pretty heavy on the 'we don't like people not from here, this is our house' theme. Which at a point was scary. A lot of people found it very easy to become very aggressive towards a group of people (aliens). Though exaggerated, it showed xenophobia fueled by fear and developed with a hive mind. I think that theme probably hit home to some people more than others and I'm so curious to learn how that landed with Russian audiences. 

Fun film though pacing could be improved, has a little dragging but some solid parts. Not the best film but not many blockbusters are, great gateway into contemporary Russian cinema, give it a whack 5/10

CINEMATES - A