Broad Russian Humour


A feature no-one seems to have mentioned as being in any way difficult for the English-speaking viewer is the broad humour (allied to a hammy acting style) of Russian films as recent as this one. I'm thinking fat ladies falling off stretchers, or delivery men who shout incessantly at people who fail to give him directions. The character in the dacha who is supposed to be amorous is another embarrassing example.

This sort of thing sits oddly side by side with far more subtle touches (some of which posters on this board have already noticed). The three main characters seem to have come from a different acting school altogether. The child actress is clearly a 'modern' child actress rather than the dreadfully stilted ones of the 1940s or 1950s, and does her final scenes especially well.

Anyone else agree (or disagree) with this?

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