The place is Leningrad, shortly before Perestroika. Lou Reed and David Bowie's records are circulating covertly while a local rock scene emerges. Mike and his wife, the beautiful Natasha, meet the young Viktor Tsoi. Surrounded by a new generation of musicians, they will change the course of rock'n'roll in the USSR.
Leto, that's what they call summer in Russian. And in fact, a very pleasant summer breeze blows in this film, bearing a scent of freedom. Freedom to listen to and play the music you choose, rock in this instance - and its even more demanding variation, punk. An energetic and energizing way to try and melt the ice pack that was then freezing the dying USSR. « Music above all else », as Verlaine said, is the creed of Serebrennikov, which does not mean he neglects the form, quite the contrary. Very personal, full of contrasts, inventive, the way he presents things changes according to the variations of tones, measured one moment, light and airy the next. Without any constraint, the director mixes black and white and color, realism and fantasy, gravity and futility, real and animated views, dramatic and comic scenes. Nothing stops the director, who keeps experimenting - and in all possible fields, including musicals: the sequences danced to cult tracks such as "Passenger", "Perfect Day" or "Psycho Killer" are astonishing. On the funny side, memorable are the concert scenes given by local rockers in front of whom fans are ordered, under penalty of punishment, to remain screwed to their chairs without moving, applauding or shouting. Kafkaesque but authentic! The whole thing, which could give the impression of a regular mishmash, is fortunately cemented by a central story, that of the passion, both sentimental and creative, of a love triangle. Three excellent performers have the knack to make the threesome close to us and touching. "Leto" is the product of free artists. Maybe « too » free. Wasn't his director put under house arrest at the end of filming? Well, whether his tormentors like it or not, the « renegade » director has achieved his end: making us discover - and love - gifted Russian outcasts we hadn't heard much about until now.
Leto, that's what they call summer in Russian. And in fact, a very pleasant summer breeze blows in this film, bearing a scent of freedom. Freedom to listen to and play the music you choose, rock in this instance - and its even more demanding variation, punk. An energetic and energizing way to try and melt the ice pack that was then freezing the dying USSR. « Music above all else », as Verlaine said, is the creed of Serebrennikov, which does not mean he neglects the form, quite the contrary. Very personal, full of contrasts, inventive, the way he presents things changes according to the variations of tones, measured one moment, light and airy the next. Without any constraint, the director mixes black and white and color, realism and fantasy, gravity and futility, real and animated views, dramatic and comic scenes. Nothing stops the director, who keeps experimenting - and in all possible fields, including musicals: the sequences danced to cult tracks such as "Passenger", "Perfect Day" or "Psycho Killer" are astonishing. On the funny side, memorable are the concert scenes given by local rockers in front of whom fans are ordered, under penalty of punishment, to remain screwed to their chairs without moving, applauding or shouting. Kafkaesque but authentic! The whole thing, which could give the impression of a regular mishmash, is fortunately cemented by a central story, that of the passion, both sentimental and creative, of a love triangle. Three excellent performers have the knack to make the threesome close to us and touching. "Leto" is the product of free artists. Maybe « too » free. Wasn't his director put under house arrest at the end of filming? Well, whether his tormentors like it or not, the « renegade » director has achieved his end: making us discover - and love - gifted Russian outcasts we hadn't heard much about until now.