Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018
Images from the Internet
Act & Punishment: The Pussy Riot Trials
Produced, written and directed by Evgeny Mitta
Cleopatra Entertainment / 2Plan2 / Paperworks / MVD Visual
90 minutes, 2018
You say you want a revolution…
Pussy Riot is now more than just a
band, they are the symbols of a social movement that have spawned a few
documentaries. Unlike the United States, in many countries it’s the art
students that are on the forefront of revolution. They see an imaginative
vision of what is possible and what is needed through eyes of those who have
studied philosophy, art history, and culture, and have the education to
extrapolate from what is to what can be. This scares a lot of politicians.
This documentary wisely starts off
with this theme, interviewing painters and art historians, and showing how the
“artist” has been at the forefront of activism, even in the time of Ivan the
Terrible. This motif is picked up repeatedly as a subtopic throughout the film.
When we first meet our heroes, however, they are at trial, stating their names,
places of birth, etc., to the judge.
Once we get to know identify the trio
that make up the core of Pussy Riot (PR), we “meet” see them individually,
talking to the director on camera, discussing how they came to where they met,
and from there forward. Present are some consistent themes, such as politics,
art, and especially Feminism. Some might call them post-Feminists (a term of which I am not fond), as they are seen in
feminine make-up and wearing fine dresses, as opposed to the stereotypical gear
(plaid shirts, overalls, etc.). To me, PR is more punk rock Feminism, by taking
on the oppressive image of sexualized women and reclaiming it as something else. This is the empowerment that
spawned PR.
PR played a post-punk rock sound music
reminiscent musically of the likes of Black Flag’s “Rise Above,” spitting out
lines of protest like bullets, but spiritually they are closer to the riot
grrrls of the mid-1990s (aka the
better half of grunge), and ideologically leaning toward anti-capitalists like the
Crass. In a few impromptu performances, they played guerrilla style in places
like on top of a bus in a terminal, or in front of a prison. However, it was an
attempted show which was shut down
before they could even play that got them arrested for “hooliganism,” which was
in the main Russian Orthodox Church – the equivalent of St. Peter’s in Vatican
City – whose congregation includes Putin. The head priest had come out in favor
as Putin for President, and this was PR’s comment on that. Before they could
even play, they were overwhelmed by a bunch of men, and shortly were arrested.
It was at this point PR became a
meta-symbol for revolutionary vision and tactics as art. The video posted of
them went viral and the music actually became secondary to what they stood for, which is, in my opinion,
unfortunate. Movements can come and go, but the message of the music will
remain afterwards. But I’m adding to what is beyond the scope of the
documentary.
It’s very well put together in a
mostly chronological order, mixed with post-event interviews with the trio of
PR (Nadia, Masha, Katia; though up to 11 others have been in and out of the
band over time), as well as thought-out placements of art-as-activism, as I
mentioned. The whole she-bang is in Russian, of course, and there are subtitles
throughout.
By switching back and forth between
PR and art-proper, the interest in both is kept at high levels, never sinking
to overexposure of people nor ideology.
An interesting aspect for me is how
what is going on in Russia in this documentary is echoed in current United
States under a Republic president, House and Senate. The assumption of power,
the use of religious symbolism by the government (here it’s Evangelicals, there
Russian Orthodox), and having an emboldened right wing – err – wing that uses
force to smash their counterparts in a cowardice of indirect contact by
officials; in the film, we see muscular men destroying peaceful protests by
kicking down tents, and assaulting people who they deem as threats.
Charlottesville, anyone?
My one complaint about the whole PR
movement, and this documentary in particular, is that as a punk rocker, I am
interested in the music, as well as the activism. Talking about, say, the SoCal
scene without hearing “Holiday in Cambodia,” for example, sort of confuses the
point, and takes out a key factor of both why
and especially how the protests
work.
There’s lots of footage of various marches
of protest both in support of PR (mostly outside Russia), and those who oppose
(the largest segment inside Russia). An interesting one that is massive is led
by the Church, full of women in traditional babushka headgear reminiscent of
the hijab, or sheitels. It’s almost like religion does not want women to have
hair. But I digress…
In a very short time, Pussy Riot went
from relative obscurity to them and their crude woolen hats turned into
hood-type balaclavas becoming iconic to the 2010s (arguably replaced in culture
by the anti-Trump pussy hats); that is the political cache of PR. And yet, the
name Pussy Riot immediately gets a nod from everyone. Yet, very few in the West
know what they look like, what they actually stand for, and what is their
musical direction. That’s part of why this documentary is so important on the
world stage. It humanizes both the movement and
who is behind it.
This is especially necessary in today’s
political environment, where societies in general are becoming more isolated
and reactionary, and religious fanaticism (in the guise of fiscal conservativism)
threatens the fabric of modern culture and the social bonds. As much as I appreciate
and respect the real #metoo movement,
I’m glad this came before it,
otherwise it would just most likely be lumped into a single wheelhouse.
 |
| With Madonna |
The movement is worldwide, but the
focus is on Russia here, with protesters, and bands like Faith No More (“We
Care a Lot”) playing in Moscow while wearing PR-inspired woolen headgear. When PR
are sentence to prison in Russia, the worldwide protests are compiled into a
powerful montage while we hear the song “Free Pussy Riot” by Peaches and
Simonne Jones.
The extras are English subtitles,
chapters, a 2:00 photo slideshow (mostly taken from the film proper), over the “Free
Pussy Riot” song, and the trailer. I would have liked to have had a couple (at
least) of their music videos included, if possible).
The documentary ends at the same time
as the trial does in 2011, which is not surprising considering the film’s title.
What happened after, well, I’m guessing that may just be a sequel, which I will
also look forward to seeing.
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