"Actor: Armen Dzhigarkhanyan"

• 100 Days Before the Command | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Visually astonishing erotically charged and emotionally jarring '100 Days Before The Command' is Hussein Erkanov's courageous and stinging indictment of Communism. Five young Red Army recruits struggle for survival against the merciless violence that surrounds them on a daily basis. Their only means of saving their dignity is by preserving the humanity and compassion they share for each other. Although not an overly gay film Erkenov's '100 Days Before The Command' is remarkably direct in its homoerotic imagery and subtexts. The film includes scenes where the soldiers share an intimacy and tenderness that is far removed from the brutality of most of their waking hours. (Amazingly all the roles are played by real-life soldiers except for one professional actor.) Banned by Soviet censors upon its initial release '100 Days Before The Command' is a unique entry into the world of post-cold war filmaking from behind the former Iron Curtain.

• 100 Days Before The Command | DVD | (02/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  If it's high-action thrills and spills or an engaging plot line that you're after, then Hussein Erkenov's bleak art film 100 Days Before the Command may not be your first choice. However, students of the uniquely Russian school of filmmaking should make a point of seeing this stark, unhurried piece of work (the film's actual 67-minutes seems to last a lot longer). Detailing the experiences of a handful of young Russian soldiers, the various narrative strains barely tie together as a whole, leaving the viewer struggling to follow the action. But the plot would seem to be secondary to Erkenov's visuals, understandably low-tech given that the film was shot in 1990, a mere year after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Long, slow tracking shots abound and there are many periods of absolute silence and little action, although the film captures military brutality just as well as the likes of Full Metal Jacket. This is hard work but rewarding viewing. --Phil Udell