(Grandfather Frost)
Directed by Aleksandr Rou
84 minutes
In Russian with English subtitles

Let's take a dive into a bit of magic. In this case, a bit of Eastern and Central European folklore. In other words, let's leave behind all the crass Christmas commercial nonsense, and go back deep into this holiday's pre-Christian past. Part ethnographic, part Russian fairy-tale and part acid trip, this film goes into the world of Ded Moroz, or Grandfather Frost, spirit of the winter season... an old Pagan demi-god of the North.

Despite what people in the West think, back in some parts of the Soviet Union things were getting pretty funky in the 1960s. In terms of cinema there was an entire genre called "Soviet fantasies" that were literally out of this world. They had a crazed psychedelic aesthetic, and this one even has an appearance of Starichock-borovichock (mushroom man) who is so trippy you have to wonder what kind of mushrooms they are referring to. Some of the most bizarre sequences involve the old witch in the forest—the legendary Baba Yaga. 

I won't go into the story much, so it can unfold for itself... but I will say it is about a young couple—Nastenka and Ivan—who have to go through a series of supernatural obstacles. It was directed by Aleksandr Rou (Barbara the fair) whose father was Irish and mother a Greek gypsy. He made a huge contribution to this weird film movement, creating entire worlds of glittering surfaces and surreal set designs, with stunning cinematography and old-school special effects. Even though it is engaging, it also has a certain openess and calmess... a totally different energy than Hollywood flicks that try to grab you and get you excited by fucking you up with loads of tension. No wonder so many people are suffering from ADHD these days!

This flick was a classic throughout the former East Bloc, especially in Czechoslovakia, where people can quote passages of it by heart still today. It has a crazy sense of humor, and a healthy dose of mysticism and magic, engaging your imagination in ways that CGI can't even dream of. Once again, I'm certainly no fan of Steven Spielberg, but even he was blown away by this bizarre flick. For some of the visitors who come to this screening, it will be one of the most bizarre movies they will ever experience. So let's dive deep into another existence filled with a mind-boggling sense of poetry. Absolutely needs to be experienced on a big screen.

This will be a crystal-clear high-definition screening.