Film Review - "Glückspilze" - A Moving Documentary

Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel

Glückspilze   -  by Verena Endtner

Film reviewed by Suzy Nelson-Pollard, a student of International Relations at the University of Geneva There are approximately 8,500 children living on the streets of St Petersburg. Many ran from domestic situations of drug abuse and violence, some are picked up by the police and taken to institutions, but most roam for years, surviving on charity clothes and soup kitchens, living in squalor and dodging prostitution. As young Nastya comments, “the first time that you are on the street, where do you go? You have four directions that you can take, it is very daunting”. The Swiss film “Glückspilze” was shown in Nyon on Monday and Tuesday of the festival Vision du Réel under the section “Helvétiques”. This extremely touching documentary does justice to its wonderful protagonists: four children affiliated to the innovative children’s Upsula Circus based in St Petersburg. Every three years the circus performs in the streets and orphanages of the city, hoping to encourage children to join and have the opportunity to escape from the daily grind of the streets and their traumas.

Photo above Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel The star of the film is Danja, a six-year-old boy living in a temporary children’s home, the youngest of the Upsula performers. With a sick mother, a father in prison and a family history of drug abuse, he is a brilliant, mischievous little devil, intelligent and funny, with a clear passion for performing. The opening scene shows him stealing sweets from the children’s home and declaring that when he grows up he would like to be president of the universe, or even better, director of the Upsula circus. Mischa is an older student in his early twenties, who ran away from home as a child and fended for himself on the street. Upon joining the circus he was asked to describe his dreams: “to find enough bottles to make some money to buy glue and cheap vodka”. Ten years later he works as a trainer and mentor for the younger performers. Larissa, the director of the circus, calls him a real “lucky devil” (Glückspilze), and is clearly proud of the expansion of his dreams. Igor is not an orphan, but his mother struggles to look after her other children in a small apartment, and deal with Igor’s behaviour problems. She explains that her ex dropped Igor on the head and was violent towards him. Igor has problems making friends at the circus, behaving and concentrating, but displays caring tenderness towards his younger siblings who visibly adore him. The fourth child, Nastya constantly has to flee offers of prostitution, escapes daily life by sniffing glue, and has a tormented relationship with her mother, who will not accept her back home. She invites the camera to a basement where she lives with other homeless people, a dark dingy hazard of a hole that barely gives her basic protection from the street.

Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel The film shows scenes of the daily life of the children whether on the street, at home or in institutions, but also of rehearsals and performances. Dance, acrobatics, costumes, make-up, acting and magic brighten up the children’s lives. Scenes are shown of a masterclass by a famous clown, an exciting trip to perform in Switzerland, and many shows in Russia. Mischa starts teaching in a local reformatory prison for young boys and Danja’s constant vibrant excitement lighten up rehearsals. Scenes like these are pearls of hope in the bleak Russian winter.

As hard as "crystal, or diamond"

Joyful as these circus opportunities are, reality is often impossible to escape from. Igor turns up at rehearsal with bites and bruises all over his arms, marks of domestic abuse, and can no longer concentrate for rehearsals. When Danja’s mother dies, he throws his head back so that tears won’t fall down his cheeks. He also refuses to learn how to fake slap or stage fight, and says its only because there is enough of that in real life. Nastya announces that she is pregnant, and that the father is a policeman who arrested her but that realised that she was a “good girl”. She assures the filmmaker that he will look after her, even though he is married, this love is the real kind. The film follows the children through their paths at the circus, but also in their private lives with custody, family life and survival. One of the dance teachers comments that a child like Danja would have been brutal on the street, but brilliant in the circus, as his personality has two sides, one kind and sweet, and the other hard as stone, “or crystal, or diamond” he says, with a twinkle in his eye. At a time when the subject of Russian adoptions are currently in the international diplomatic news, this film is beautiful, funny and extremely moving. Although it will not be shown again this week, I sincerely hope that Glückspilze will get the recognition it deserves from the festival judges.