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Schizo (2005)
Runtime: 86 mins
Synopsis: An uncommonly moving feature about characters in desperate circumstances, SCHIZO offers both a unique coming-of-age story and a sterling feature debut by director Guka Omarova. The film concerns Mustafa, or "Schizo," a boy not quite 15 years old, who becomes caught up in sordid adult... An uncommonly moving feature about characters in desperate circumstances, SCHIZO offers both a unique coming-of-age story and a sterling feature debut by director Guka Omarova. The film concerns Mustafa, or "Schizo," a boy not quite 15 years old, who becomes caught up in sordid adult dealings, and must struggle to maintain his sense of beauty and right as he develops the expertise and thick skin of a true player. Growing up in the destitute early ‘90s Kazakhstan, and nicknamed "Schizo" for his eccentric behavior in school (for which he also earns a drug regimen and the ominous prospect of other treatments), the young man lives an unrewarding home life in early-'90s Kazakhstan with his single mother and her boyfriend Sakura (a small-time hood.) The makeshift family is poor, and the adults pay little attention to Schizo's prospects, except that Sakura offers Schizo a role in his own income scheme: procuring other men who will agree to fight in an underground and illegal boxing syndicate. The men will vie for money and cars, but few will ever win, and some are horribly injured. Already toughened by life, Schizo takes to this work with zeal, happy to have a little spending money. But he is taken aback when one recruit – a young man named Ali – dies after his boxing match, entrusting a small amount of money to Schizo, to be delivered to Ali's girlfriend Zina. Feeling a faint sympathy for the dead Ali, Schizo finds Zina, a somewhat older woman, living in a small hovel on the outskirts of his town. Also living there is someone Ali never mentioned: his young son Sanzhik, a mere toddler who finds the new, teenage stranger intriguing. Keenly aware of Zina's wrenching poverty (as well as her debilitating limp), Schizo delivers Ali's money without initially breaking the news of his tragic death. Finally observing this last formality, he becomes a regular visitor at Zina's home. Much to their mutual surprise, the three young, wounded people take on the aspect of a family more functional than Schizo's own. Schizo and Zina undertake a physical relationship (especially tender, given his relative inexperience). Schizo also develops a special bond with young Sanzhik, gradually coming to provide the stability and warmth that his own childhood has so sorely lacked. But in his growing desire to support Zina and Sanzhik, Schizo must raise more money, and he redoubles his involvement with the illegal fighting operation, even recruiting an alcoholic uncle to undergo the punishing ordeal. When the uncle's unexpected win foils the schemes of Sakura's crooked boss, Schizo faces possible disaster – and realizes that this represents calamity to his new family as well. The decisions he makes next are both noble and wrenching. Austere direction, stark imagery and magnificent performances (especially by a remarkable Olzhas Nusuppaev in the title role) combine in a memorable portrait of a vulnerable and humane young man, blossoming in the toxic soil of a devastated country. This beautiful and moving feature, set in modern-day Kazakhstan, depicts the hard choices a young man makes when he's caught between poverty, crime and love, guided only by his wits and his better nature. -- © Picture This! Entertainment [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Olzhas Nusuppaev, Eduard Tabyschev, Olga Landina, Bakhytbek Baymukhanbetov, Viktor Soukhorukov
Screenwriter: Guka Omarova, Sergei Bodrov
Producer: Sergei Selyanov, Sergei Bodrov, Sergey Azimov
Composer: SIG
DVD Info
Release:
Jan 9, 2006
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 1.66
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - Russian
- Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 - Russian
- Closed Captioned - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish, French
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette
- Bonus Trailers
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Access
Reviews
Omarova's thoughtful offering is not so much a visual triptych of the country but a human portrait of youthful purpose in the face of fisted danger.
The exotic setting and the starkness with which the young man's story is told--along with Nusuppaev's muted charisma--help it transcend the narrative commonplaces.
An unflinching look at poverty, expedience and harsh choices in a desolate environment.
This Russian-made thriller is seriously lacking energy, which is surprising considering the material.
First-time director Guka Omarova has a strong eye for telling detail and a sensitivity to Mustafa's slow awakening.
A stark illustration of a cold, hard world, and a sensitive look at a kid wanting a way out.
Offers not just the proverbial window into village life in Kazakhstan, but a panoramic view.
Nusuppaev simply isn't skilled enough to bring us along on Schizo's journey, and Omarova's sense of pace is uneven.
Guka Omarova's assured first feature Schizo is a noir forced out into the sunlight.
An uncommonly moving feature about characters in desperate circumstances,Schizo features an incredible debut performance by its leading actor, a Kazakhstan orphan.
As admirable as some of the film might be, it's ultimately too sluggish and dreary to be very memorable.
While believable and well put-together, the story is a bit too slight to fully command our attention.
The director creates a taut picture of a place, and a liberating moment of choice.
An austere, moving tale about a young man underestimated by everyone except himself.
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