Dikari

Savages (2006) (Russian: Дикари, Dikari) is another Russian "people's comedy" in the line with the infamous Peculiarities of National Hunting.

Plot summary

The open sequence has Tinto Brass licking his lips, as the camera follows a pair of youths along a secluded beach strewn with lovemaking couples and naked girls. The south depicted here is heavily clouded by nostalgia: It is the paradise of a middle-age man remembering his youth, which was peopled by quirky friends and bare-breasted women, and free of any old people.

Yuriy "Gosha" Kutsenko leads a cast of mostly young but already very popular actors, most of whom are clad in cargo shorts or camouflage gear. Kutsenko plays Aye-Aye, who comes to the Crimea every summer to meet old friends in the hope that it will return his lust for life. Lots of things happen on the beach, from wild love to tender friendship. The movie is funny, romantic, and nostalgic. The beach way.

Cultural references

The word "dikari", which literally means "savages", was used in the Soviet Union to describe tourists who travel to the south under their own steam and live in tents. The south in question includes the Crimea and resort towns like Sochi, which the Russian cultural consciousness associates with fun and romance. In layman’s terms, people travel to the south to get tans, drink and sex. The characters of this film are no exception.