- Date of Release: 10 June 2024
- Genre: Drama, Comedy
- Language: Russian
- Watch On: Tribeca Film Festival
Bikechess
Introduction
In an early scene in Bikechess, you are witness to a couple of ladies instructed to play chess while cycling in a gym. And once the camera did roll, the protagonist did ‘report’ the start of a new sporting era in Kazakhstan with the ‘discovery’ of a new kind of sport which was a Government Initiative of sorts. One of the main reasons why I love to explore cinema from around the world is to understand the culture and the people. And while cultures are different with overlapping similarities, the people and their nature are the same. The same holds true for the media across the globe(in general) which are mouth pieces of the Government, often carrying out selected and at times weird information to the general public. Their idea of reporting news is way different from what may have been taught, often resulting in such absurd antics that it is hard not to laugh at them(things are no different back home too). With that, I finished watching Bikechess as a part of our coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival, does it manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Bikechess follows the story of Dina who works as a journalist at the national station wherein her stories continue to be weird and absurd given that their station is a mouth piece of the Government. The story here is relevant and unfolds as a black comedy particularly with the differeny news items that are reported by the protagonist. These are genuinely funny sprinkled in a laugh out loud format where the sequences are intended to be silly while also acting as a timely reminder of the state of the media in current times. The screenplay standing at a 100 minutes is weirdly funny and tragic at the same time, even as the protagonist remains hood-winked about the silliness integrated with the news pieces, almost as an immediate by-product.
The drama is quick to introduce the viewers to the protagonist Dina, a journalist whose life is messed up with the kind of reporting that she carries out. Even in her personal life, she isn’t doing very well, as she continues to have a secret affair with her cameraman who is married, while also worrying about her rebellious sister who is known to be a lot more vocal about the current crop of issues. There is a clear demarcation between the ideologues of the two sisters while both do not cross the line. Amidst this, Dina spends most of her time on the field, reporting ‘interesting’ stuff featuring the book launch of a personnel, accounting for a lethargic press conference. The conflict here is characteristic of the plight of the media who do not wish to address people’s issue but instead create issues while reporting the most absurd and staged occurences, all in the name of news.
The narrative style is slightly fragmented but efficient with the introduction of two more set pieces, each of which are satirical in nature. In the first of tye two occurence, you see the protagonist being asked to ‘report’ a new initiative of people approaching cops with their standard questions about road safety. This sequence was hilarious given how no one from the general public came upfront, while the cop assigned the duty simply sat about, either smoking or munching peanuts. The same concluded by the stage being manipulated by the protagonist by asking her driver to approach the dias. The other one was particularly spot on with the undertones of politics used, wherein the stage was set for the Governor to plant trees and free some rabbits which were caged previously, only to have them freed later. The saplings were sowed and kept ready in parched lands which would never germinate into anything substantial, something that was hilarious to witness.
Yet, the final act involves two incidents that move in parallel. While the protagonist is asked to cover a Government initiative event, a parallel event unfolds featuring her sister and her friends who are simply there to raise awareness about menstruation. But the fate met by them is shocking and infuriating, much contrary to the other event which is cancelled(it is the same everywhere, isn’t it?). I however wasn’t too happy with the abrupt ending that kind of let off an important plot point. The film needed to be 10 minutes longer as per me for realisation to set in followed by helplessness. But overall, the screenplay is still well written and makes for a wonderful watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and pretty well written that convey the intended messaging of the film. The BGM is sparingly used, mostly allowing the unfolding drama to take centerstage. The cinematography is pretyy good featuring frames that compliment the tone of the drama which was unfolding as a black comedy. The editing is a little fragmented but doesn’t quite disrupt the flow of the drama. Director Assel Aushakimova does a pretty good job in highlighting the manipulated reports of the media by presenting the drama as a searing black comedy. She checks the humour meter effortlessly although the characterization presented is slightly flawed at times. But the direction is pretty good, overall speaking.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the ensemble cast. Aseke has his moments to shine. Shyngys Beibituly is pretty good as well although his character is slightly under-written. Assel Abdimavleno has a good screen presence and delivers a subtly impactful act. Saltanat Nauruz as Dina is phenomenal to watch in what was a flawed character who somewhere knew the shortcomings of her profession but had now accepted it as her reality. She nicely laps up this fine line of consciousness and presents a towering act of sorts.
Conclusion
As a part of our Tribeca Film Festival coverage, Bikechess is a hilarious black tragicomedy on the buffoonery of the media that makes for a solid watch which is satirical in many ways.
