The 68th annual Cannes Film Festival promises many surprises, one of them being an erotic thriller made in Russia. Because it’s the first ever film created in this genre, already it has caused waves of stormy discussions. It’s no secret: these kinds of movies have always been condemned by certain audiences (and critics) especially in Russia, where for many years sex and anything related to it, was a big taboo.
Ekaterina Mcituridze, general director of ROSKINO, alluded that the thriller “Grasshopper” (“Caранча”) will certainly steal the show at Cannes, before admitting that she can’t wait for the reaction. Erotic movie making in Russia can be, and is, a very risky business. It’s for this reason not many Russian filmmakers dare to materialize their ideas into reality.
Alexander Cikalo, the film’s producer, is confident that his thriller will get many reviews, severe criticism and that he’ll probably get a name as a pornographer but, in reality, the amount of sexual scenes in the movie are not huge. The sex is not the key or main idea of his work, although without them he couldn’t tell the whole story – a story about a modern Romeo and Juliet in all their wild passion.
Will it be like the British-American “50 Shades of Grey” phenomenon, receiving massive exposure and attention but forgotten in a few weeks? Let’s see if the Russians can do better.
