Extremist

Bluesky

In April 2022 Sasha Skolichenko was arrested in her hometown of Saint Petersburg and charged under ‘fake news’ laws. Her crime? Creating tags with information about her country’s invasion of Ukraine and attaching them to supermarket products in place of price tags. Aleksandr Molochnikov’s Oscar-shortlisted short film is inspired by her case and follows its outlines closely before taking a surreal turn at the end.

Setting the scene, Molochnikov introduces us to his protagonist’s domestic life with her girlfriend and to their social and creative activities as part of a group of young people looking for alternative ways of living despite the conservative attitudes of Russian society more generally. It’s this background, together with her unwillingness to apologise for her actions, which leads to what might have been treated as a misdemeanour making it all the way to court. Whilst this places her at risk of a significant prison term, however, it also gives her a platform from which to speak out.

Molochnikov no longer lives in Russia himself, but has been at pains to get the details right. We initially engage with the story through the observations of an elderly neighbour who might be taken to represent the rank and file of Russian society, her opinions shaped by a highly selective news media – a phenomenon which, of course, can now be found in many countries. The heroine’s particular act of rebellion, whatever its inspiration, has more than national relevance. The film avoids Western clichés and uses locations which, unless one recognises little details of branding or architecture, could be anywhere. The contrast between modern facilities and regressive culture makes a wider point, whilst the strangeness of living with it is reflected in the final scene.

The open lesbianism of the central characters – founded on real life – is a reminder to outsiders that queer people still exist in Russia, in spite of its hostile policies, and that they face everyday pressures and threats on top of those experienced by others, as well as engaging in everyday acts of bravery. The simple fact of experiencing one’s own existence as at odds with the official line makes it impossible not to notice other forms of propaganda, and this often propels people like Sasha into the front line of resistance. Visibility then becomes a key survival trait, and Molochnikov’s film sends a vital message.

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