User Reviews

My main reason for choosing to watch this film was after having read up on the trials and tribulations of the Russian stage, film director, and theatre designer Kiril Serebrenikov. Serebrenikov had, until recently been placed under house arrest by the Russian Government, after being convicted of embezzlement and is still now not able to leave Moscow. This all meant that Serebrenikov completed the Leto while still locked away in his apartment.

Leto is based to a greater/lesser extent on the true story of the Underground rock scene in early 1980's St Petersburg. The City's authorities had sought to try to co-opt the new musical trends sweeping into the Soviet Union from the West, such as: Punk, Rock and New Wave, through the introduction of a state sanctioned Rock club, the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Rock groups would apply to play, having their lyrics vetted for any subversive content in order that they could perform. The club's performance scenes are entertaining, and surprising, with local apparatchiks patrolling the audience to ensure that everyone stays in their seats and remains calm.

At the heart of this film is a 3-sided relationship between Mike, the club pro, He and his band are the stars of the club, playing to adoring (but restrained) fans including his young wife Natalia. So far, so good. It's the arrival of this 3rd side which adds the complexity. Viktor, a young musician, with the talent, lyrics and attitude required to become a star. Natalia quickly falls for Viktor, but Viktor seems rather more focused on the guidance and opinions of Mike. While for Mike, he obviously doesn't want to lose Natalia, but what does he want?

There seems always a carefree sense associated with Mike, one of the reason's perhaps he doesn't push on and above the Club. I think in Viktor he sees someone who has that little bit extra something, be it talent, desire or authenticity required to make him a huge star which he himself doesn't quite have. As a result, he gets behind Viktor, providing the further guidance and motivation that the younger man seeks.

To this effect, Mike gives a memorable speech when questioned by a friend, as to why he is in such a hurry to get Viktor recorded. He reflects that in the Soviet Union, you never know what can happen to a man, but there is/was always the risk that life could be cut short.

As mentioned, the film is loosely based on real events: Viktor (Viktor Tsoi) went onto become a huge star before dying tragically early in 1990 at the age of 28, the result of a car crash. Mike's response in the film reflects the tragic and rapid decline and fall of the real-life figure on which he is based, Mike Naumenko, who became an alcoholic, split from his wife, and as a result of an accident was left physically unable to play his guitar any longer. He died one year after Viktor, in 1991 aged 36.

Perhaps the most memorable thing about Leto is how the film consistently busts through the so called "forth wall" (in other words the invisible, imagined wall that separates actors from the audience). In the form of superb choreographed sequences, where the timeline of the film is frequently paused. The standout of the Choreographed scenes is one set on a commuter train, as Mike and his friends, with their subversive dress and behaviour, draw scorn from other passengers. Plain clothes police soon become involved. It's at this point that one of the Characters completes (impressively in the circumstances) a spirited version of Talking Head's "Psycho Killer".

The second wall breaker is the character, "Skeptik" who appears throughout the film both within and outside of events. Addressing on some occasions other characters and on others, the audience directly. In retrospect I consider Leto to be a very good film. The set piece sequences are unique and magical perhaps unsurprising considering Serebrenikov prior experience in the theatre.

Kirill Serebrennikov stylish Russian feature based on the memoirs of Natalia 'Natasha' Naumenko (Irina Starshenbaum) who was the wife and muse of famed Russian musician Mikhail 'Mike' Naumenko (Roman Bilyk; a songwriter himself). It's not a traditional bio-pic with secondary characters spinning in and out, flights of imagination and the entire time scale limited to a year or so.

The time is circa 1980, the place is Leningrad. The setting is crucial for this is several years before Perestroika. Stuffy old Brezhnev is still in power. Rock concerts were still strictly controlled, and had be as orderly as attending the Bolshoi. Music was from the West was still largely treated as contraband, with LPs and tapes sold on the streets and in the dark corridors of the subway. Mike, Natasha and their friends argue over Punk and New Wave and how to incorporate those sounds under the repressive regime (or more accurately, sneak them in). One of the younger upstart singers is Victor Tsoy (Teo Yoo) who Mike takes under his wing, while at the same time catching the eye of Natasha.

As with most memoirs, the events depicted are filtered through the perspective of both time and that of the adapters (Director Serebrennikov co-wrote with three others). Rendered in wide-screen Black & White, LETO takes on the look and feel of rock 'n roll myth-making. A train full of the young musicians is assaulted by police as they defiantly break out into a rousing version of The Talking Heads' 'Psycho Killer'. A documentary filmmaker follows the band around with his 16mm film camera (those segments are in color). Graphics and graffiti are drawn right on the 'film'. Every once in a while, a minor character will break the fourth wall and talk directly to the camera informing us that such and such an event "never happened".

At over two hours, LETO does get repetitive at times. U.S. audiences won't be as enthralled at some of the minor bits and asides that almost certainly have more cultural resonance domestically*. Still, the movie's energy and vigor ring through. The cast, music, editing and photography are aces. The language may be different, but the spirit of the music needs no translation.

* I arrived in the Soviet Union a week or so after Mike's passing (including a lovely week in Leningrad). I, obviously, had never heard of him, but, I do recall the locals still buzzing about his tragic early passing. A couple of months later, Freddie Mercury died, and the Americans and the Russians on the work project commiserated together.

"Leto" or "Summer" is a pretty new Russian movie from 2018 and the most recent filmmaking effort by director Kirill Serebrennikov who is also credited as one of several writers and he is among the country's most influential filmmakers these days. Now this is at over 2 hours a fairly long movie and with some very brief exceptions it is entirely in black-and-white focussing on rock music in the Soviet Union several decades ago with major focus on how it influenced strongly by American artists everybody knows of today like Bowie, Iggy Pop and many others. The first half includes more about the political background. There are scenes when during a concert female fans are prohibited from showing signs thatg they love the singers and there are other scenes in which too free-spirited artists are discriminated against in a train because of their liberal tendencies that are not in conformity with the system, also in a violent manner. The second half switches more into personal territory then as the focus moves on to the relationship between two central characters and a love triangle that arises from it when we have German-born actor Teo Yoo's character at the center of it all, also music-wise and he plays Wiktor Zoi and maybesome will know him as the singer from the Soviet band Kino. I must admit I did not, so this film took me and probably many other audience members to a territory that was very new to them, namely the music scene in the Soviet Union back in the day. Sadly I must say the way it was presented here, even if the creativity is impossible to deny, it did not really attract my attention and there were several scenes that made zero impact for me. It's not really the problem that very little happens in these two hours, but that the film does not make enough of a difference in other fields either and it really should have. The music scenes were solid, well the American in my opinion because it directed my attention to several songs I have come across already and liked, but forgotten about over the years. Usually they handled it that minor supporting characters like in the public transportation scene sing in English while the main characters perform in Russian. The Russian songs did virtually nothing for me. So yeah, there is definitely some personal preference in here, maybe also some personal bias, but this film did not make the impact I wanted it to make for me. I still liked the scenes when they included all kinds of animated special effects like during the Lou Reed song Perfect Day the red color or also the quick lightning you on some occasions or the letters written on the screen on several occasions too. But this alone is not enough sadly. And Irina Starshenbaum's stunning looks can also only make up for so much of it. That's why as a whole I give this film a thumbs-down and don't recommend checking it out. It is not a work on the level where it will get you interested in the subject, only one where you will like the film if you've been interested before already. So if you like Kino and care about their country back then when they were famous, then feel free to check it out. Otherwise skip the watch and honestly, you won't be missing much.