Biologist Viktor Slushkin works as a geography teacher in the school because of his financial worries. To gain the trust of his
This delightful film comes as a pleasant surprise. It is a narrative about teachers who educate rebellious kids, but the story goes beyond that and highlights the importance of being in control of our own life.
In this movie, we are introduced to the lives of regular Russians through great dramatic performances, genuine Russian humor, anecdotes, and breathtaking photography. The tone is set in the first scene, which takes place on a train when our main character attempts to deceive a ticket inspection team by gesturing that he is deaf or mute. When his mobile phone rings, they initially believe him and leave him alone, but his reaction when the phone rings expose him a few moments later. The rest of the film is filled with a slew of “insignificant” incidents. Do not expect a happy ending story.
The film’s first half is about average individuals, who represent a typical cross-section of Russian residents, and how they go about their daily lives. We observe neighbors interfering in other people’s lives to the degree that we would find unthinkable in Western culture when our home is considered our fortress.
The second half of the story revolves around a field trip taken by our main character, a geography teacher who had never been trained for such a position but needed the money nonetheless. He is joined by a portion of his class, which never refers to him by his given name but always refers to him as “geographer.” It all started when one of the students lost a card game, and his prize would have been a “smooth” class for the rest of the semester. Instead, the field trip became a reality.
It turns out to be an adventurous battle with nature, accompanied by a mixture of accomplishments and failures in dealing with the diverse group of youngsters in his company.
