Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

adriennenoracarter Khutsiev's I Am Twenty is a sort of coming of age film—the generation it deals with is those coming of age in the 1960's, the young adults of Khrushchev's thaw. I Am Twenty follows just returned from the army Sergei, his two best friends—Nikolai(Kolia) and Slava, and his eventual love interest, Anya. They all struggle finding their place in the adult world of Moscow 1962 . . . Sergei has just returned from his time in the army and finds it difficult to return home and have the same relations as he did before his time in the army—he's not really sure what he should be doing; Slava has a wife and child, but still tries to hang around with Kolia and Sergei like nothing has changed; Kolia is a hard worker and also quite a flirt; Anya is in the midst of a divorce and is quite an unstable, flighty character for most of the film—her words and actions don't always add up. One theme in the film is the lack of knowledge from one's elders—it also translates into a sort of teenaged/young adult angst feel. Sergei's father, for example, died in WWII at a very young age so he has never been around to give Sergei advice or help him in this transitioning phase. He gives Sergei one word of advice in a dream —'live'. This is very hopeful, but still doesn't give Sergei much direction (he wouldn't however, know how to help Sergei in this transition phase since he himself never got to live through it). One of the technical highlights of I Am Twenty is the way Moscow is shot. It is a truly beautiful city, and this film does a great job of showing that: the shots of the parks of Moscow and the Kremlin for example are beautiful and can show even one who has never been to the city just how magnificent it is.

Joe M Khutsiev's I Am Twenty is a frank exploration of the generation of Russians coming of age in the 1960s, and a portrayal of their struggle to find a place in the world. The film focuses on 23-year-old Sergei, his two closest friends, and his love interest Anya. All four of them face the disappointments of entering an adult world with wholly unexpected challenges and little knowledge of how to meet them. Slava attempts to remain chummy with his childhood friends as he tries to raise a child of his own, Kolia resists party politics at his research job, and Anya cannot take the responsibility of matching her words and actions. Sergei himself struggles to take life seriously, so unsure of the road that lies ahead of him that he has little idea what should be important. A recurring theme is the difficulty of finding direction and learning from one's elders. As Sergei says, the war has left Russia such that "almost all of us have no fathers," and those fortunate enough to speak with fathers can learn little from them. Anya's father resigns himself to the point of view that young people want to make their own decisions, and Sergei's vision of his own deceased father reminds viewers that the previous generation were themselves directionless young men when they died. Even the film's mechanics lack direction. Camera movements are often sudden, sometimes seemingly random, and events that are portrayed lack orchestration or integration into the plot–Sergei's unplanned chase through Moscow and the poetry reading respectively, for two examples. The movie leaves viewers without definite direction, but not without hope. The Moscow of I am Twenty is vibrant and beautiful. Streets are clean, orderly, and bustling with industry. Everything is bright, from the metro to Anya's face during the expository chase through the city, to Sergei's shirt during his early morning walk in Part II. Above all, everything–like the institute where characters study and work like their parents before them–is enduring. Most importantly, viewers are left with the promise that the revolution that drives this beautiful vision of Moscow will continue. I Am Twenty was released under the title of Lenin's Guard, and at the film's end this title takes meaning. Still unsure about his future, Sergei nonetheless discovers the importance of the Leninist principles that lead him on, and of his close friends. As the three comrades split up, Khutsiev inserts a shot of three soldiers walking together to relieve the old guard of Lenin's mausoleum. The symbolism is clear: whatever direction they take, the new generation will take the place of the old as guardians of Lenin's legacy.

Martin Teller Man, those Russkies sure know their way around a camera. I've come to expect great cinematography from Soviet cinema, but this is the finest I've seen in quite a while. I could make a picture book out of screenshots from this movie, but even that wouldn't capture all the magnificent movement, such gracefully choreographed tracking shots. The movie has a visual energy that captures the hustle and bustle of Moscow, particularly from the perspective of youth. But it also beautifully highlights the quiet moments of the wee hours of the morning. It's gorgeous, breathtaking, exciting photography. And the soundtrack has a lot to offer as well, with interior monologues, heightened sound design, and the use of contemporary tunes (including American rock and French pop), folk songs, classical and moody ambient music. I haven't even gotten to the substance of the film yet. The story follows a young man and his two pals, trying to find their place in life. The narrative has a freewheeling new wave vibe to it, accentuating individual moments rather than grand dramatic arcs. These are the lives of youths unsure of how to live or what to live for, a generation with many left fatherless by the war. Although a rather long film, I can't think of anything that felt superfluous, every scene had its own insights or charms. I'm tempted to give this film a 10, but I'd like to have a second viewing before I jump the gun. It definitely made an impression on me.

John Thomsett I can't comment too much on the full movie. I am not a movie expert and it it has been several years since I saw it. Overall I found it to be an interesting and surprising view on Moscow in the early sixties. The way Moscow is presented it is not much different than any Western European town in the same period. On the other side, young people are young people with their own, but similar, problems everywhere in the world. This comment is about one particular scene. The chase sequence with Anya through Moscow is fantastic. I had seen parts of it on Dutch TV in a movie programme and made sure I saw the full movie when it showed in an art cinema. It builds up expectations until the crucial scene in the stairway where the male protagonist gets close to Anya, but in the end lets her slip away. Beautifully shot in black and white, melancholy and promise captured together.