Griaz Bolshogo Goroda

"An eye for an eye and the whole world will be blind" sermonises a follower of Ghandi's teachings when he glimpses the bloodied protagonist, only to turn violent himself due to a seemingly harmless incident moments later. In light of the hypocrisy, corruption and plain cruelty that fill the headlines and streets of the film, it's easy to lose yourself in euphoria when the silent avenger takes justice into his own hands.

Rather than blindly glorify the protagonist's campaign of vengeance, the film instead opens up a dialogue on vigilante justice, in the process holding what initially appear to be innocent individuals to account. The nameless protagonist, his stony determination wonderfully brought to life by Askar Mendybayev, is driven by his naturally subjective emotional state and commits irreversible errors in the process. All the while documentary footage of street interviews challenges the audience to take a position on the issue and critically engage with the events depicted. DJ