Within the doom and gloom of today’s economy and the decreasing quality of life as a result, people increasingly enjoy reminiscing about earlier times. Going back to a more carefree period in history for the purposes of a film often signifies a lack of satisfaction with where someone is and often who someone is, and a director’s objective is often to express that notion with regards to their homeland. Valeriy Todorovskiy’s Russia certainly has identity issues to this day after a tumultuous history that has served up corruption, civil wars and a great social and economic divide. The questions of identity and social standing are shown in Todorovskiy’s Stilyagi (Hipsters) by instances of popularity and the ability to face evils throughout adversity.

For anyone who’s seen kitsch 2005 French comedy Foon, Hipsters at first falls into similar territory. Both are set in the fifties and show an immediate social divide between the cool rebels and the rigid rule-followers – but while the respective plots both work through closing the gap between the two groups, Hipsters succeeds in creating easier acceptance for its leading man, and as a musical comedy, rather than alienating the viewer through its songs like Foon, it invites you to instead reminisce. Twenty-year-old Mels (Anton Shagin) finds himself straying away from his membership in a pro-Communist party to become a ‘hipster’, befriending the cool kids who defy Stalin’s restrictions on Western ideology. They wear American clothes with clashing colours and patterns and hold parties in nightclubs during a time when you could get arrested for simply bearing an unacceptable Elvis-inspired hairstyle. For Mels, he defies his own ideals for the pursuit of love – the impressionable young man persists to success with popular Hipster Polina (aka Polly, The Bourne Supremacy’s Oksana Akinshina), but not before he’s put to the test by the group.

Mels is drawn to the ‘dark side’ because of love but as his true colours (and materials) come out, he begins to see the bright side of life. Todorovskiy shows how impressionable young adults can be (particularly when Mels discovers a certain piece of literature) but also how the lack of educating citizens about different parts of the world (in order to understand their own) stifles them. It certainly still retains a slice of European flair as Todorovskiy uses the Russian-created montage to reflect the fast pace of the Hipsters and their dance through life, and importantly, shows a perception of the Western world from those in Communist boundaries but not influenced by the propaganda – which is alienating yet fascinating for those watching in a Western country such as Australia. Hipsters glamorises the look and feel of the fifties but also glamorises the setting of a 1955 Soviet Moscow while distinguishing between the rich and the poor (or really, the happy and unhappy). It has a lot to say about families and what a child’s role was, particularly that of Hipster leader Fred (Maksim Matveev) as he ultimately becomes restricted by his parents’ choices.

It turns serious as the relationship between Mels and Polina develops, and the excitement drops off a bit to let reality sink in. The colour is drained, while an important exit raises tension dampens the spirits. Yet through this part of the film, there are still glints of comedy so you’re never immersed in drama for too long. While to Western audiences the handling of the story may seem absurd, it seems Todorovskiy wants us to accept the kitsch European quality of it; while sending out a message about the influence of the past, understand that there is always room to move forward. Mels discovers this during the most propagandist part of the film when Communist party leader Katya (Evgeniya Khirivskaya) delivers a powerful turn to remove us from his world and remember the times they really lived in. The song performances are pretty crazy but not irritating, Matveev as Fred is a standout (and quite reminiscent of Steve Zahn in Hollywood ‘50s-inspired film That Thing You Do), and the costumes are wonderfully wacky.

Verdict

Hipsters is an interesting film, but not just because it’s a European look at Western ideology. It’s about those willing to stick it to ‘the Man’ – and who doesn’t love watching that?

Hipsters screened as part of the 2009 Russian Resurrection Film Festival.

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