The Fool (Durak) movie still
The Fool (Durak) movie poster

The Fool (Durak) (2014)

Drama

Director: Yuriy Bykov
Writer: Yuriy Bykov
Starring: Artyom Bystrov, Natalya Surkova, Yuriy Tsurilo, Boris Nevzorov


An idealistic plumber faces a system of corrupt bureaucrats in a dreary Russian country town, in an attempt to save the lives of 800 unsuspecting citizens.

After noticing the giant cracks running from the foundation to the roof of an apartment building he is sent to for fixing a burst water pipe, handyman Dima Nitkin realizes that the 40-year-old structure is facing imminent collapse. To save the life of the 800+ residents, he decides to immediately track down and alarm the mayor of the city, which he finds, with all the city hall corrupt department heads, at a late night birthday party.

Acted and shot very well, The Fool (Durak) is a painfully honest depiction of the realities of contemporary Russia, but not only, that some may find bleak and depressing. It showcases a rare combination of suspense and philosophical questioning, rendering it a pretty entertaining film that will leave the viewer thinking about it way past the end credits.

Plot summary from IMDb: The Fool is a movie about a simple plumber. An honest man, he is up against an entire system of corrupted bureaucrats. At stake are the lives of 800 inhabitants of an old dorm that is at risk of collapsing within the span of the night. Dima Nikitin is a simple and honest guy, a foreman of a repair team at a provincial housing service. Nothing really makes him stand out among the rest. It's only the unusual combination of honesty and integrity that makes others perceive him as somewhat weird.In the little town there is a notorious dorm, inhabited mainly by drunkards and outcasts. One night the pipes burst at the dorm. After arriving at the scene, Nikitin discovers that things are way more serious - the building will not stand through the night. People need to be evacuated immediately. Fighting the red tape, Nikitin sets off on a night Odyssey around the town authorities.


Awards: 15 wins & 11 nominations.
Runtime: 116 min
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