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The Event

Name: The Event
Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Released: 2015
Duration: 74 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Good

2015

Not Rated

Director

Sergei Loznitsa

Runtime

74 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Event serves as a documentary analysis of the 1991 Soviet coup, emphasizing the collective experience of the masses over individual stories. Its focus on systemic collapse and political tension limits the depth of specific demographic representation. However, it provides significant progressive value through its critique of institutional power and presents a complex, non-triumphalist view of political transition. Ultimately, the film studies the collapse of an empire, highlighting the collective struggle of citizens over individual character arcs.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Event have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on political events without addressing LGBTQ+ identities or non-binary gender expressions.

How does The Event portray gender?

Fair

Women play active roles in civic resistance alongside men, but there is no deep exploration of gender dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Event?

Fair

The film captures a diverse range of people in Moscow and Leningrad, focusing on political tensions rather than ethnic intersectionality.

How does The Event represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film highlights the breakdown of Soviet institutions and the chaotic moral ambiguity during the transition period.

Does The Event include disability representation?

Minimal

The documentary does not focus on disability or neurodivergence, and any instances of physical distress are incidental to the civil unrest.

Present on Screen

Offers a detailed look at a pivotal historical moment.
Deconstructs the fragility of centralized authority and state-imposed morality.
Presents a nuanced, non-triumphalist view of political transition.

Limited or Absent

Does not address LGBTQ+ identities or non-binary gender expressions.
Lacks deep character development related to gender or disability.
Does not explore racial or ethnic intersectionality beyond incidental footage.

Official Synopsis

In August 1991 a failed coup d'état attempt (known as Putsch) led by a group of hard-core communists in Moscow, ended the 70-year-long rule of the Soviets. The USSR collapsed soon after, and the tricolour of the sovereign Russian Federation flew over Kremlin. As president Gorbachev was detained by the coup leaders, state-run TV and radio channels, usurped by the putschists, broadcast Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" instead of news bulletins, and crowds of protestors gathered around Moscow's White House, preparing to defend the stronghold of democratic opposition led by Boris Yeltsin, in the city of Leningrad thousands of confused, scared, excited and desperate people poured into the streets to become a part of the event, which was supposed to change their destiny. A quarter of a century later, Sergei Loznitsa revisits the dramatic moments of August 1991 and casts an eye on the event which was hailed worldwide as the birth of "Russian democracy".

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