Author: Elizaveta Stukanova

Serf (2019)
Genre: comedy
Director: Klim Shipenko

The most talked-about and commercially successful Russian comedy of recent years — the rights for international remakes have already been sold to seven countries, including France and Turkey.

Synopsis
“Grigory, a spoiled 27-year-old Muscovite, is drunk on his own impunity. His wealthy father constantly bails him out — so much so that the local police station now boasts a new car fleet and updated equipment, all thanks to Dad’s generosity. But after one reckless stunt too many, his father loses patience and turns to a psychologist known for extreme therapeutic methods.

Grigory soon wakes up after a car crash — not in a hospital, but in a 19th-century village stable. It’s Russia, 1860. He is now Grishka, a lowly serf with no rights and no privileges. A single misstep could earn him a public flogging — or worse.”
That’s how the film is described by Russia’s biggest movie database, Kinopoisk.

And the description fits. The viewer follows the fall and forced re-education of a modern city playboy, now thrown back into pre-emancipation Russia. The concept is fresh, the story of personal transformation — timeless.

Why it’s worth watching?
This is a lighthearted and surprisingly touching film. Unlike The Master and Margarita, there’s no need to look for deep existential meaning — you can simply relax and enjoy it with friends (and subtitles). A sequel has already been released online (the original was a massive box-office hit), but it’s better to start with the first installment. The set design is fantastic, the jokes land well, and Serbian actor Miloš Biković is clearly having the time of his life living in a reimagined 19th-century village.

Russian context & trends
The film is filled with historical references — and subtle jabs at how little many modern Russians actually know about their past. It skillfully blends period detail with modern-day attitudes, creating a comedic parable that’s both funny and surprisingly insightful.

Editor’s note
Serf became the top-grossing film in Russia in 2019, and that success begs the question — why? Here’s one theory. Around the world, and Russia is no exception, people tend to believe that great wealth rarely comes without moral compromise. Millionaires and billionaires are often viewed with suspicion: “There’s no way they made that kind of money honestly.”

This is where Serf hits a nerve. It gives audiences exactly what they crave: justice, redemption, and catharsis — all neatly packaged. Good triumphs. Evil is punished. And the director proves a compelling point: the deeper the pain your film touches on, the greater its success is likely to be.

Published on 11.12.2024