Beaumonde Scrapping

Nikolay N Viktorov’s first documentary roams similar territory to Ilya Povolotsky's 2019’s debut Froth, although considerably more coolly, as he offers a portrait of Russia’s far north. It's a place that time and the rest of civilisation seem to have largely forgotten about and where being on the wrong side of the law can be more profitable than the right side.

At its heart is Ilya, who seems almost too big for the place. He’s a fast-talker, with energy to burn who spends his off-hours writing poetry of sorts and his on-hours knocking off metal dumpsters with his two friends for scrap - where there's muck there's brass, after all.

Friends is, in fact, a rather generous term for the men who help him with one, Vitalik, in particular, being subjected to such squirm-inducing levels of bullying by Ilya that I imagine it was tough for Viktorov, who also edited and shot the film, to stay behind the camera.  “I’m the one who does the thinking,” says Ilya – and he certainly has plenty of time on his hands to do that. Among his thoughts, which he shares with the camera, are dreams of escape from small town life to Moscow and a fervent love of Stalin, who he views as "super-hardcore". "At least he can fucking fuck you up," he adds. This idea of power through violence runs through the film that gradually paints a fuller picture of Ilya's younger years, indicating where he learned to consider fists and oppression an answer to most problems.

This is largely a straightforward observational portrait, which captures moments of industrial beauty, when the physical rather than metaphorical sparks are flying as Vitalik slices up the dumpsters. But Viktorov touches on something more reflexively daring towards the end of the film when we see Ilya watching footage, his face slipping from enjoyment to something considerably more complex as a segment showing his bullying in full force plays.

It's such a powerful moment that you can't help wishing the director had dug around a bit more at this issue - perhaps taking the opportunity to show more of Vitalik's perspective, which is again only hinted at, though interestingly, in a scene where he's on his own in a shop. What's not in doubt is Viktorov’s keen eye for a striking image or his ability to get close to his subjects and stay there - something that bodes well for future projects.