Mixed Experience

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2019)

The film is a contemporary Anglicized version of a dark comedy of a Soviet historical event. It is funny and biting satire and farce, but one can also understand why Russians would feel offended by its oversimplification and stereotyping. It could be said that Stalin and his goons don't deserve better but there is an unease about trashing another country's past like that. Stalin is an easy target - one can certainly see how, if the roles were reversed, and Russians would make a film about... let's say Bush, the outcry would be immense. Still, if one can bracket that discussion, the resulting film is enjoyable, and I don't think it's a bad thing to ridicule the world's politicians and dictators - if anything, we need more satire like this for our current political goons and absurdist reality.