''Demobbed'' (russian: ДМБ, DMB) is a cult Russian comedy film by Roman Kachanov, offering an absurdist view on the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

by the eyes of a

conscript Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

. The brutal rituals of

Dedovshchina ''Dedovshchina'' ( rus, дедовщина, p=dʲɪdɐˈfɕːinə; lit. ''reign of grandfathers'') is the informal practice of hazing and abuse of junior conscripts historically in the Soviet Armed Forces and today in the Russian armed forces, I ...

, a major problem within Russian society, is shown not as a tragedy, but as an idyllically insane process of resocialization. Several stars of the

Soviet cinema The cinema of the Soviet Union includes films produced by the constituent republics of the Soviet Union reflecting elements of their pre-Soviet culture, language and history, albeit they were all regulated by the central government in Moscow. M ...

cast in the roles of senior officers; prominent

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

director Sergey Artsybashev portrayed the iconic protagonist ''Dikiy Prapor'' ("Wild

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

") The film's popularity encouraged the producers to create four

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s (''DMB-2'', ''DMB-3'', ''DMB-4'' and ''DMB-5''), but with limited reception.

Plot

Three young Russians from very different walks of life involuntarily enter the military to escape their past.

Awards

International awards

* 2000 — Demobbed —

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

Special Mention: «For its humour and for the ironic look on Russian society which allows to overcome tragedies of everyday life and might open doors to the new cinema.

Selected national awards

* 2000 –

Russian Guild of Film Critics The Russian Guild of Film Critics (russian: Гильдия киноведов и кинокритиков России) is a Russian organization of professional film critics, headquartered in Moscow. Beginning in 1998, the guild began conferrin ...

''Best Screenplay'' ( Roman Kachanov,

Ivan Okhlobystin Ivan Ivanovich Okhlobystin (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Охлобы́стин; born 22 July 1966) is a Russian actor, director, screenwriter, and former Orthodox priest. He is currently defrocked by the ministry of the Russian Ort ...

). * 2000 —

Kinotavr Kinotavr (russian: Кинотавр), also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival is an open film festival held in the resort city of Sochi, Russia annually in June since 1991, until it was cancelled in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasio ...

Special Jury Prize

References

External links

*
FIPRESCI-Awards-2000
2000 films Russian comedy films 2000s Russian-language films Films set in Russia Military of Russia in films Military humor in film Films about military personnel 2000 comedy films Films directed by Roman Kachanov {{Russia-film-stub