The Fool
An honest provincial plumber races through a corrupt Russian bureaucracy to save 800 residents from a collapsing dormitory before nightfall.
Overview
An honest plumber battles corruption to save lives in a crumbling dormitory.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- oppressive
- tense
- serious film night
- political drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a forceful, morally serious Russian social drama with a compelling central performance and incisive depiction of corruption.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nikitin discovers that officials at every level protect their positions rather than evacuate endangered residents.
The dorm may collapse within the night, forcing Nikitin to seek action from authorities before dawn.
The failing dormitory and provincial housing infrastructure make corruption materially visible.
Nikitin’s honesty makes him appear strange while separating him from the officials and residents who accept corruption as normal.
Films like The Fool, and why
Leviathan
socially charged drama about institutional corruption and an ordinary person confronting a morally bankrupt system
High Noon
idealistic protagonist challenging entrenched corruption through tense, morally serious drama
The Insult
humanist social drama centered on dignity, poverty, and resistance to dehumanizing institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Yury Bykov
- Release Date
- 2014-08-09
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (334)
Cast
- Artyom Bystrov
- Natalya Surkova
- Yuriy Tsurilo
- Boris Nevzorov
- Kirill Poluhin
- Alexander Korshunov
- Olga Samoshina
- Darya Moroz
- Sergei Artsybashev
- Elena Panova
Common questions
- What is The Fool about?
- An honest provincial plumber races through a corrupt Russian bureaucracy to save 800 residents from a collapsing dormitory before nightfall.
- What is The Fool like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fool as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Fool violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Fool as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Fool?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a forceful, morally serious Russian social drama with a compelling central performance and incisive depiction of corruption.
- Which films are like The Fool?
- Films with a similar feel include Leviathan, High Noon, and The Insult.
- How long is The Fool?
- The Fool runs 116 minutes.
