Film "Bitter": reviews and reviews, actors and roles

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Russian cinema can rightfully be called a treasure trove of the most interesting and unusual works, sometimes filmed in a genre that is absolutely not inherent in established canons and reflecting unique cases and stories from the life of a Russian person. So, one of the unusual and rather creative decisions both in the presentation and in the storyline itself is the film by the now well-known director Andrei Nikolaevich Pershin called “Bitter!”. The 2013 film became an original project that gathered a lot of fans and received quite an impressive amount of positive feedback from both ordinary viewers and famous Russian film critics.

About the creator

Andrey Nikolaevich Pershin (pseudonym - Zhora Kryzhovnikov) was born in the city of Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod region. He has two higher educations - he graduated from GITIS (directing department) and VGIK (faculty of production and economics). After graduation, he became a teacher of acting at VGIK. Demonstrated his skills asscreenwriter at the theater "ApARTe". Later he worked on the TV show "You are a superstar", "Star Factory - Kazakhstan", "Olivier Show" and many others. As a director, he first showed himself while working on the film "Bitter!" (2013).

About the genre

It is impossible to attribute the film project "Bitter!" just in the comedy category. This is a real folk comedy filmed in the style of "video from the wedding." The deliberate realism of filming continues the line of popular works created in the same style: these are the TV series "Real Boys", the film "The Curse" and other films based on pseudo-reality. Unbridled humor, endless sarcasm, the casuistry of situations and the saturation of the film with curiosities make it incredibly organic and lively.

About the plot

What is the film “Bitter!” shot by Zhora Kryzhovnikov about? (2013)? The plot is built on conflict relations between children and parents. Natasha and Roma are future newlyweds. They dream of a wedding organized in the Hollywood style, with a minimum number of grandparents, with a landmark on the altar by the sea. Everything is very romantic, modern and unusual.

However, the plans of young people run counter to the plans of their parents. Natasha's stepfather, Boris Ivanovich, as a man of military refueling and as a former paratrooper, does not tolerate being contradicted. He wants the wedding to be held in the original Russian traditions, with a toastmaster, with a huge number of guests, with competitions and an abyss of alcohol on the table. No one dares to object to him - neither the stepdaughter, nor the son-in-law, nor the son-in-law's parents, who are financiallyare not invested in the holding of the solemn event. So, it was decided: the wedding will take place in a local entertainment establishment - the restaurant "Cossacks".

However, Natasha and Roma did not compromise their principles. They came up with the idea to negotiate with a local DJ and celebrate the wedding exactly the way they wanted: to make a painting at the altar on the coast, and the festivities themselves - on a cool yacht with all the amenities. A partial celebration was planned with parents and relatives in a restaurant, and then, when everyone was already drunk and carried away by the very process of celebrating, the bride and groom were to quietly go to the wedding of their dreams. But something went wrong…

Reviews of the film "Bitter!" (2013) and the actors of the film are ambiguous, but many note the incredible organic nature of the filming and the absolute correspondence of the “invented” plot to the current realities. Due to the rather plausible and life situations that often accompany wedding events, Pershin's work is thoroughly saturated with the realism of what is happening. Relatives nevertheless noticed the absence of the newlyweds and went after them to the yacht. And the bride and groom themselves were terribly bewildered and indignant at the fact that the very DJ with whom they agreed on the celebration invited a bunch of completely unfamiliar people to the couple. Unknown personalities ate, drank, danced and walked at the wedding of Natasha and Roma, the existence of which they did not even imagine. In a word, a complete mess - as, in fact, at most Russian traditional weddings.

The icing on the cake was the denouement of the film "Bitter!" (2013): 2 different groups of guests met on the Black Sea coast, the secret of Natasha and Roma was revealed. The offended feelings of the offended relatives first turned into a verbal skirmish, and later into a grandiose showdown using, so to speak, hand-to-hand combat. Naturally, here Zhora Kryzhovnikov could not miss the main component of any Russian party. And what is a wedding without a fight?

The whole film is imbued with a purely Russian spirit, the director and producers are actively promoting the theme of national festivities. All humor is tailored to the specific life realities of an ordinary Russian family with their problems, customs and characters. Each episode is filled with humor and irony. And despite the violence and fights in the final scenes, the movie looks easy and uplifting with its cheerful and perky presentation.

About the actors

From the very beginning, the director's idea was not to include the film "Bitter!" (2013) actors whose roles were already known to the general public from other films. Andrei Pershin wanted the main characters to be played by people who had not yet become familiar to the viewer of Russian cinema. And so it happened: the roles of the bride and groom were played by actors little known at that time, Yegor Koreshkov (Roma) and Yulia Alexandrova (Natasha). However, the color of the film suggested the mandatory inclusion of a public person in the project program, and this person had to play himself. Sergey Svetlakov in the role of an invited "star" cameo becamesome humorous symbol of the film. A person who jokes without smiling evokes a lot of positive emotions with his appearance and speech alone. I must say that, judging by the reviews of the film "Bitter!", Many viewers began to look for the film precisely because of the presence in it of the game of a successful comedian-actor. The expectations of many did come true, the movie is really able to cheer and cheer up. What else does the audience need from a comedy movie?

Anna Matveeva as Masha's bridesmaid, Alexander Pal as the bald Khipar, Danila Yakushev as Semyon, Natasha's boss, and many other actors were met by the audience in the film for the first time. But such personalities as Valentina Mazunina (the performer of one of the main roles of the famous television series "Real Boys"), Elena Valyushkina (the well-known actress from the Univer multi-part project), Yan Tsapnik (Honored Artist of Russian Cinema, who played roles in such series as "Brigade", "Gangster Petersburg", "Deadly Force" and many others) - all these actors once again showed their skills and showed an excellent game, which is simply impossible not to believe.

About casting

Initially, the role of the stepfather of the bride Natasha was intended for Vladimir Mashkov, but his schedule did not coincide with the work schedule of director Pershin, and he did not come to the casting. As a result, Jan Tsapnik took his place. The actor appeared at the audition, arriving specially from St. Petersburg. According to the director, he immediately improvised a lot of rather strange, but incredibly funny and funny texts, many of which were latertaken as the basis of some episodes of the script. Like the character in the film, Jan Tsapnik had a chance to serve in the paratroopers, and therefore joining the team of paratroopers, with whom he performs the song “Sineva” according to the plot, was not difficult for him. The scenario called for the paratrooper to wear a thick, long mustache. But, since the actor did not wear his own, it was decided to glue artificial ones every time before filming. In his reviews of the film "Bitter!" (2013) viewers often comment on his amazing acting and ability to make him laugh with his comical scowl alone.

Initially, the role of the main character Natalia was supposed to be played by a young actress, so that according to the film the bride would be eighteen years old, as it was intended according to the script. The actress was found, but the producers wanted to first check how the shooting in the mockumentary style (realistic video) would look on the screen. There was no funding for additional test shootings and wages for test actors, and then the director sent his wife, Yulia Alexandrova, to try out. A talented young actress did not bypass the attention of producer Ilya Burts, he sent the shooting to Timur Bekmambetov (co-producer of the film) for viewing, as a result of which Alexandrova was approved for the role of Natasha.

About filming

The entire film was filmed in just 23 days. All episodes were captured on the embankment in Gelendzhik, the village of Divnomorskoye and Novorossiysk. The director himself admits that in order to shoot the full film “Bitter!” (2013) he was looking for inspiration not in elite wedding magazines and glamorous luxury festivities, butmostly from YouTube videos. Pershin said in an interview that he did not like the way films are being made today - there are too many untruths, overestimations, non-existent criteria and just an abyss of pathos in them. According to the director of the tape, the people of Russia are not like that. Here people are much simpler, more natural, or something.

One of the episodes, which was supposed to reflect the scene with Roma on a boat and Natasha waiting for him on the platform, was canceled due to adverse weather conditions. The platform itself was swept out to sea twice, and the equipment on the pier had to be dismantled and reassembled several times.

Special attention should be paid to the songs from the movie "Bitter!" (2013). Such famous compositions as "Iceberg" by Alla Pugacheva, "The Hijacker" and "Wedding Flowers" by Irina Allegrova, "Everything will be fine" by Verka Serdyuchka, "Battery" by Zhukov, "Drinking Vodka" by Mikhail Krug, "Chervona Ruta" by Sofia Rotaru and a lot others. By the way, the singer from the film "Bitter!" (2013) also plays herself - this is the soloist of the Cappuccino group, Yulia Tigeeva. And the scene with the loss of an excerpt from Slava's song "Loneliness is a bastard" was completely improvised by Valentina Mazunina - this breathtaking and incredibly humorous dance was not included in the script, but the directors and producers liked it so much that it was decided to include it in the tape.

As for the interviews of the future newlyweds at the beginning of the film, with the exception of a couple of phrases, their speech is also a complete improvisation. Andrey Pershin mentioned more than once in his comments about the talent of hiswards and their ability to react with lightning speed to the tasks assigned to them.

About Feedback

In their reviews of the film "Bitter!" viewers express opinions of opposite meaning, from enthusiastic statements about the tape saturated from A to Z with humor to harsh criticism related to the indignation of many connoisseurs of traditional cinema with such an active "praise of the degenerate generation."

What do we actually see? A lot of people speak positively about the movie. Viewers note the incredible plausibility, realism and correspondence of the episodes presented in the film to the realities of today's life of a Russian person. The breadth of Russian weddings, the curiosity of events arising during the festival, crazy dances, enthusiasm and fun caused by the general mood - all this makes you watch the film with a smile on your lips until the very credits.

Many highlight the virtuosic imitation of the actors of the modern folk mentality. Each of the spectators at least once was at someone's wedding. Everyone saw how this happens, how everyone is having fun, dancing, getting to know each other during the celebration, and then, pretty much “taking it to heart”, they reinforce the fun with elements of a hooligan character against the background of kindred showdowns. The composition "Blue", performed by Jan Tsapnik, makes you smile involuntarily from the first notes. And in general, in their reviews, many mention the appropriateness of musical accompaniment and the selection of really right songs in such a thematic movie.

Moreover, some trace the issue of fathers and children into the storyline. The confrontation between generations and the ambitiousness of young people directed in the wrong direction played a role in the picture, once again forcing us to think about the fact that the work and efforts of parents should be appreciated at least out of respect for them, out of gratitude for everything they do. And they do everything solely to improve the well-being and well-being of their own children.

However, not all viewers were satisfied with watching Andrei Pershin's film. Some of them are frankly surprised and express their bewilderment in the reviews about how such a film could even gain such a number of positive responses. As opponents of this style of filming the comedy genre say, the film is crammed with a huge number of different incoherent events, pieces stuffed into a common storyline. The confusion, inconstancy, random reproduction of the incoherent elements of the film is annoying, according to the haters, with its expressiveness. What can we say about the negative reviews that were caused by the "disgusting behavior of most of the heroes", "a terrible demonstration of a degrading generation", as well as the exposure of a Russian person once again in the vein of a hopeless drunkard and rowdy. Some reviews frankly criticize the director for once again reinforcing the already rooted stereotype about the unrestrained drunkenness and alcoholism of Russian society. "A film about rednecks and alcoholics" - such a stigma is put by some dissatisfied viewers of the sensational comedy.

About critic reviews

Opinions of critics alsodivided. Reviews and reviews of the film "Bitter!" highlight different positive and negative points in the footage.

Thus, film critic Andrei Plakhov made a commendable speech, during which he mentioned the vigor of editing, the selfless play of artists, the correct intonation between irony and condescension, sarcasm and benevolence.

The editor-in-chief of Empire magazine reinforced the opinion of his predecessor: he calls the film "Bitter!" (2013) the best in its stylistic category among truly folk films. An unusual presentation, an authentic, addictive picture, catchphrases - all this, according to the critic, is saturated with a catchy, bold challenge, but by no means vulgarity and rudeness, as “incomprehensible” viewers mistakenly perceive.

Valery Kichin, editor of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, took the film somewhat differently. In his review, he emphasized that an hour and a half watching "drunk" characters is of little interest. He was also supported by Elena Menshenina, a columnist for Arguments and Facts publications, who mentioned in her comment that the clarification of Russian traditions is good, but “you also need to know when to stop.”

About awards

Whatever it was, but the picture "Bitter!" became a nominee in several film competitions and festivals of the domestic film industry. Thus, the film, together with its creators and actors, took part in the "Best Film" nomination of the "Nika" award, as well as in nine nominations for the "Golden Eagle" award:

• Best Film nomination;
• nominated for "Best Director's Work";
• nomination "Best Screenplay";
• nomination "Best Actress";
• nominated for "Best Supporting Actress";
• nomination "Best Supporting Actor";
• nomination "Best Cinematography";
• nomination "Best Film Editing";
• nominated for Best Sound Engineer.

In addition, the list of awards for the film "Bitter!" includes the Hollywood Reporter in Russia magazine award in the Debut of the Year and Advance categories, the Nika award as Discovery of the Year and the award in the same category in GQ Russia magazine.

About fees

The box office in Russia for viewing the film amounted to more than twenty and a half million dollars. This despite the fact that the budget of the film amounted to half a million. Thus, the filmmakers returned their costs in the form of profit from the release of the film seventeen times.

About continuation

In 2014, the continuation of the film "Bitter!" (2013). Part 2 did not cause such a resonance among the audience. Andrei Pershin, of course, expected, if not such popularity, then at least close to it. In addition, after the first work, the second should have been interesting to fans of the previous series (2013). The actors of the film "Bitter 2" remained virtually unchanged (we are talking about the main cast). Jan Tsapnik, Egor Koreshkov, Yulia Alexandrova, Elena Valyushkina, Vasily Kortukov, Yulia Sules, Sergey Lavygin, Alexander Robak, reappear in the film. Alexander Pal, Sergey Svetlakov and others. With a budget of $2.5 million, the film grossed just under $13.5 million at the box office. The filmmakers again made good money on their creation, although not with such success and not with such positive reviews from viewers and film critics.

In the second part, the plot revolves around Natasha's stepfather (Yan Tsapnik still played the role of the stern former paratrooper). He got into an unpleasant business story, as a result of which he had to imitate his death and funeral. Again, humor, again self-irony, again incredible and painfully funny funny situations described in the episodes, make the viewer plunge into the life of the characters and see their little world with all these comedic troubles and incidental incidents from the inside. In a word, the continuation of the first part, although it did not repeat its popularity, nevertheless bore fruit in the form of a decent fee to its creators.