Russian Сinema: a Modest Charm of an Hollow Character?

Abstract

The article explores the “hollow character|” concept. The hollow
character is manifested as a subject whose inner space does not exist. They are
incapable of reflection or self-reflection. This character is essentially impervious
to external reality. They do not relate themselves either to society or to history.
Their temporal construction is poor. With no past or future, they live a moment
of the present, sharply reacting to any touch. The article shows that introducing
hollow characters into a movie plot correlates with neo-sentimentalism in
contemporary art.
It is through the emotion of pity, especially self-pity, that the viewer is
connected to the emotional system of films with a “hollow character”.
The lack of a certain substance and freedom from guilt guarantee the
absence of the distinction between the viewer and the character.
The «hollow character» has neither inner or outer reality. The spatial form of
the film is reduced to the interaction of the characters, which are empty shells
capable of feeling pain and suffering from friction against external reality and
when in contact with each other. Therefore, the border of the character with the
outside world acquires special significance. This border is their body.
The article provides a sequential, spatial and temporal analysis of the films
“Going Vertical” (2017, dir. Anton Megerdichev), “Dylda” (2019, dir. Kantemira
Balagova), “Odessa” (2019, dir. Valeria Todorovsky), “The Man Who Surprised
Everyone ”(2018, dir. Natasha Merkulova and Alexey Chupova).
The proximity of these films to the aesthetics of neo-sentimentalism is
shown. Their stories unfold as a drama of pure physicality. The approach of
another character promises not only warmth, but also the horror of a complete
merger, bringing death. A “hollow character” eliminates the difference between
polysemantism and nonsense. This is their seductive role: emptiness may seem
meaningful.