The Fool

Really puts on display the effects of selfishness as the film explores a world where everyone only cares about themselves except for the main character.  I’ve seen many other comments saying this movie is very slow and drawn out, but this is characteristic of many Russian movies as well as Russian literature. Having the movie be slower when the conflict of the movie is to get people out of the building before it collapses (which should be done in a faster pace) shows how the main character feels about the city council: nothing is getting done when a state of emergency should be called. The slow pace can seem frustrating at times but this allows the audience to sympathize with the protagonist.  The mayor is a very interesting character as her motivations for saving the building/ evacuating people change throughout the film. She is at first worried that a building collapsing would ruin her reputation. Towards the end, the mayor seems to actually care about the people in the building but is made fun of my other administrators for doing so. She is blocked to any possible solution because of the corruption of others and her own corruption. Even if she wanted to change, she could not because of past decisions. The moral of the movie is one I very much agree with: treat all people with kindness like you know them well, even if they seem to you like nobodies. The cause of the conflict is a build up of corruption and people not having the wellbeing of others in mind. At one point, a city official states the building may as well collapse as the people inside it don’t give anything to the city. Ironically, it is the city council who has taxed the people without providing proper schooling or job opportunities.