(2011) My Dad Is Baryshnikov/ Moy papa Baryshnikov
(In Russian with English subtitles)
COMEDY DRAMA
Written and directed by Dmitry Povolotsky that takes place during the early 1980's with a young scrawny boy, Fishkin Boris Mikhailovich (Dmitry Vyskubenko) at a prestigious dance academy in Russia called the "Bolshoi Ballet School". Compared to his fellow peers, Fishkin does not have any of the physical attributes like his fellow ballet dancers. Then one day, his mom, Larisa (Anna Mikhalkova) gave him a video cassette to watch, and as soon as he saw Mikhail Baryshnikov, he assumes that because his mother never told him who his actual father looked like that it must be the infamous ballet dancer he is seeing on screen. And for the next forty and some odd minutes, he then tries to convince his fellow peers that his dad is Mikhail Baryshnikov, and for some bizarre circumstance he ends up getting the lead, and to perform on stage front of some important people. And when he is not in the school, he sometimes sells or trade fake watches or actual items in exchange for money and gifts with visiting tourists.
And as it turns out, of course. Fishkin's dad is not Mikhail Baryshnikov, but is really a convicted convict, Mikhail Borisovich Fishkin (Vladimir Kapustin) and was just released for amnesty. Arrested for illegal currency trade the father felt it would be best if his son did not know where he was and what he was convicted for.
Some of the things I liked about the film is the fact, viewers got a glimpse of how a particular ballet school is operated in Russia, as it takes rigorous training. What I did not care too much about is the fact that at the end of the film, although satisfying, I was still unable to determine whether the entire story was made up. It was well told but with zero showcasing what that young boy is supposed to look like during the time of 2011. Was the story made up or was it based from another person's experience he refuse to name.
Written and directed by Dmitry Povolotsky that takes place during the early 1980's with a young scrawny boy, Fishkin Boris Mikhailovich (Dmitry Vyskubenko) at a prestigious dance academy in Russia called the "Bolshoi Ballet School". Compared to his fellow peers, Fishkin does not have any of the physical attributes like his fellow ballet dancers. Then one day, his mom, Larisa (Anna Mikhalkova) gave him a video cassette to watch, and as soon as he saw Mikhail Baryshnikov, he assumes that because his mother never told him who his actual father looked like that it must be the infamous ballet dancer he is seeing on screen. And for the next forty and some odd minutes, he then tries to convince his fellow peers that his dad is Mikhail Baryshnikov, and for some bizarre circumstance he ends up getting the lead, and to perform on stage front of some important people. And when he is not in the school, he sometimes sells or trade fake watches or actual items in exchange for money and gifts with visiting tourists.
And as it turns out, of course. Fishkin's dad is not Mikhail Baryshnikov, but is really a convicted convict, Mikhail Borisovich Fishkin (Vladimir Kapustin) and was just released for amnesty. Arrested for illegal currency trade the father felt it would be best if his son did not know where he was and what he was convicted for.
Some of the things I liked about the film is the fact, viewers got a glimpse of how a particular ballet school is operated in Russia, as it takes rigorous training. What I did not care too much about is the fact that at the end of the film, although satisfying, I was still unable to determine whether the entire story was made up. It was well told but with zero showcasing what that young boy is supposed to look like during the time of 2011. Was the story made up or was it based from another person's experience he refuse to name.