Scythe Hitting Stone (movie, 2017)

In 2000 Russians celebrated the advent of a new century and dreamed of a new life. But their painful experiences could not be left behind — in fact, the era hadn’t gone yet, it catches up with the heroes of the film with heavy injuries — war or death turn their lives into a social drama. The Chechen war is followed by the Chechen syndrome, then radical nationalism and escaping from real life. Is there any place for God in this new world? How high is the value of a human life in it? Heroes answer those questions not in words, but in actions dictated by their post-Soviet worldview and values. When Jehovah's Witnesses commit an accidental murder in a search for new religious followers or when the hero rides a motorcycle in memory of his brother, who died in Chechnya — an absurdity connects with reality. Despite the painful social themes, the movie becomes a cruel satire on the insanity of war and violence — grotesque, shock and comic become firmly grounded in the new world.