Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Zerograd aka City Zero Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 2, 2023

Karen Shakhnazarov's "Zerograd" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Deaf Crocodile Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new interview with the director and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The outsider

The small provincial town that emerges in Karen Shakhnazarov’s film Zerograd is the type of place the great Federico Fellini would have loved to discover if he was directing films in the U.S.S.R. during the 1980s. It is essentially a giant surreal playground where anything could happen -- absolutely anything.

The man from Moscow, Aleksei (Leonid Filatov), enters the place determined to get the job he was sent to do as quickly as possible. However, immediately after he gets off the night train and jumps in what appears to be the only taxi around, he realizes that in this part of the country time has a different rhythm. On the following day, while visiting the office of a veteran communist apparatchik making important calls in the biggest factory in the area, Aleksei also realizes that not everything he sees is seen and rationalized as the people around him do.

It is how dementia begins to make its presence felt. One gradually begins to see and hear things that are not real. Then, as the disease progresses, one permanently transitions into the unreal. But the switch from the real to the unreal is so abrupt and so decisive Aleksei instantly discards the idea that his mind might have started having serious problems. And yet, the young secretary typing a letter for his host was completely naked, focused on her work, and no one seemed to care. Okay, rational mind, explain how this is real, not some twisted joke.

An hour later, as if to make an important point, Aleksei’s mind registers another strange event. In a modest restaurant, Aleksei has lunch, refuses to have dessert, and the heartbroken chef blows his brains out just a few steps away from him. Aleksei leaves the restaurant utterly perplexed, and the more he attempts to find a logical explanation for the event, the more suspicious he becomes that his mind is in fact randomly unplugging itself from reality.

But it is at the train station that Aleksei becomes spooked and then paranoid. Even though there is no one around trying to leave town, the cashier informs him that all tickets for all trains heading to Moscow are sold out. Not too long after that, the district attorney also reaches out to Aleksei with a friendly warning that he is not allowed to leave because he is a witness in a murder case.

While undoubtedly Fellini-esque in tone and character, the madness that is revealed in Zerograd is an almost perfect replica of the communist reality that corroded and eventually destroyed the U.S.S.R. and its satellites. What made it somewhat unique in different villages, towns, and countries was the enthusiasm behind its management.

There were two kinds of people that were aware of its existence. There were those like Aleksei that were accidentally awakened by its extreme idiocy. However, their journey was usually in a different direction -- they moved from a small town like the one that is seen in Zerograd to a much bigger city, usually the capital, where information sneaking in from abroad gradually reset their minds. Like Aleksei, many attempted to escape it too, but very few were lucky to cross into the real world. Then there were those that were always aware of its existence because they worked hard to ensure its survival. There are several such characters that Aleksei encounters while struggling to find a way to leave and they can be easily identified by their mediocre acting skills. (The Party loved these loyal actors and employed hundreds of thousands of them).

The finale is entirely predictable but only because this is the natural culmination of the awakening. Like Aleksei, the awakened ones eventually gambled with their lives and attempted to escape.

*Another film about an ordinary man that accidentally falls into the abyss of madness and realizes that his social environment is a giant grinding machine and the foundation of a totalitarian society is Orson Welles' classic The Trial.

Zerograd aka City Zero Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Zerograd arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Deaf Crocodile Films.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored in 2K by Mosfilm in Russia. On my system, the entire film looked lovely. I think that density levels could be just a tad better and some darker nuances slightly better managed, but the overall quality of the visuals already ranges from very very good to excellent. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. I liked the grading job a lot, too. The primaries look very healthy and there are fine ranges of equally convincing supporting nuances. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Zerograd aka City Zero Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review. The dialog was very clear, clean, and always easy to follow. The original soundtrack is not going to impress you because the film does not have footage with memorable dynamic contrasts. However, there are plenty of smaller yet effective nuances that I think are wonderfully reproduced.

Zerograd aka City Zero Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q&A with Karen Shakhnazarov - in this exclusive new interview, director Karen Shakhnazarov discusses his background, the conception and production of Zerograd, the socio-cultural environment the film emerged from and was seen in Russia, as well as its key themes and characterizations. The interview is conducted by Dennis Bartok, co-founder of Deaf Crocodile Films. In English, not subtitled. (58 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Samm Deighan.

• Booklet - 8-page booklet featuring Chris D.'s essay "Zerograd: Zero Hour for Burecraucies and Imperfect Unions" as well as technical credits.

• Cover - reversible cover.

Zerograd aka City Zero Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Before the Iron Curtain collapsed, rational minds in the U.S.S.R. and its satellites had to endure the madness that is revealed in Karen Shakhnazarov's film Zerograd. This madness was everywhere, it was carefully controlled, and anyone that attempted to question its existence and escape it instantly became a target like the main protagonist in Zerograd. While Shakhnazarov's deconstruction of it is a bit unusual, it is entirely accurate. Zerograd is an outstanding acquisition for Deaf Crocodile Films and looks great on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.