
Goltzius & the Pelican Company
2012

2001
Director
Karen Shakhnazarov
Runtime
106 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
A story of an actor named Oleg whose wife has been seduced by his neighbor. As he is thoroughly convinced of her infidelity, he would like to poison her. An old man named Prokhorov helps him to get rid of his wife by lecturing about famous deaths caused by poisoning. It is from Prokhorov we learn that many famous and not so famous like Cesare Borgia and Caligula were killed as they were poisoned.
Overall Score
Limited
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The film focuses on a heteronormative domestic conflict regarding marital infidelity. There is no evidence of queer narratives or non-cisnormative identities present.
Gender Representation
The plot relies on traditional tropes of domestic instability. Female agency is framed through the lens of betrayal, while the male protagonist drives the narrative through retribution.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
The setting and historical references suggest a homogeneous European perspective. The film lacks evidence of intersectional casting or diverse ethnic representation.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The narrative uses historical lectures to deconstruct morality. It treats lethal violence as intellectual curiosity, prioritizing situational ethics over strict moral absolutes.
Disability Representation
There is no information available regarding the depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.
Strengths
Areas for Improvement
AI Analysis
Poisons or the World History of Poisoning functions as a dark, absurdist comedy that prioritizes intellectual subversion over social representation. The film uses historical vignettes to explore human impulses and the deconstruction of traditional moral storytelling. While the film offers a cynical, academic lens on domestic crime, it lacks significant markers of progressive identity politics. The narrative architecture remains rooted in traditional relational frameworks and a Eurocentric historical perspective. Ultimately, the work focuses on the absurdity of human nature rather than the inclusion of diverse social identities.

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