Soviet bloodsport meets Lord of the Flies — teenage killers in khaki shorts.
A "Hitlerjugend" kind of story, set in the Soviet Union during the Second World War, based on a fictitious story from the eponymous book by Vladimir Kunin.
Acting
Panin's colonel drips terrifying paternal cruelty.
Direction
Atanesyan shoots training sequences like horror setpieces.
Director
Aleksandr Atanesyan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Putin's military revival, it sparked debate about romanticizing Soviet martial culture.
The 'Hitlerjugend' framing in marketing was controversial — the film deliberately blurs which empire's machinery we're watching.
RU
