Directed by Kirill Serebrennikov • 2016 • Russia

Released a year before the politically-motivated house arrest that ultimately saw him leave Russia for good, Kirill Serebrennikov’s fierce drama of spiritual fervour now seems grimly prescient. Venya (Pyotr Skvortstov) seems like a typical maladjusted teenager in a provincial Russian high school – until he adopts an extreme take on Orthodox Christianity and declares war on the fallen world around him. As the adolescent auto-didact clashes with his fellow students and his liberal biology teacher (Viktoriya Isakova), his scriptural outbursts begin to divide the school against itself, with shocking consequences. Adapted from the stage play by German author Marius von Mayenburg, The Student matches the fire and brimstone of its protagonist with audacious cinematography and an icy intelligence.

THE STUDENT • УЧЕНИК
Written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov
From the play Märtyrer by Marius von Mayenburg
Cinematography by Vladislav Opelyant
Music by Ilya Demutsky
Starring: Pyotr Skvortsov, Yuliya Aug, Viktoriya Isakova

In Russian with English subtitles

Winner of the François Chalais Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2016