Shards of the white list

At the St. Petersburg Film Festival "An example of intonation" will be a premiere show of the film about "Death Groups"

On June 3, at the St. Petersburg Festival “An example of intonation” - the premiere of the “White List” - the criminal drama of Alisa Khazanova (“Shards”). About teenage "death groups". Producers of the picture-Artem Vasiliev and Igor Mishin, head of the online cinema Kion

The picture is inspired not only by very terrible real events, but, first of all, a series of articles in the Novaya Gazeta Galina Mursalieva, which the authors talk about in their interviews. True, in the film the newspaper for some reason is called “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, and the famous journalist was turned into an ambitious super-expansive, not causing confidence in Aunt Nile Safin, who does not know how to print on a computer. Such a god knows what he will write. She is concerned, first of all, the number of readings of her article. And after all, it is she who speaks of 1000 communities of adolescents-suicide bombers and 130 victims. At the same time, its monologue is almost literal quotes from the texts of articles in the “new”.

So, the spring of 2015. The 10th grade student Anya calmly dresses in the hallway, takes a backpack, calls the elevator, goes to the 16th floor and goes to the icy roof ...

The detective of pre -retirement age Korotkov (Alexei Serebryakov) and his young zealous colleague Lazarev (Vladimir Averyanov) arrive to investigate the reasons for the wild mysterious suicide of the schoolgirl, the photos of which are replicated by the media. The girl’s mother is killed ... but somehow too defiant and, apparently, such “performances” with a show of children's scribbles on the wall in the entrance are not satisfied for the first time.

True, the point is confusing. The investigation stretches for years, turning the inside out of the life of the heroes.

The film-investigation on the melancholic intonation, thought out an aesthetized picture (cameraman George Daskalescu) recalls “Memories of the Murder” Pon Chong Ho or “The decision to stay” PAK Chan's dec.

Here, not only the victims are mysteriously connected with each other, but at some point the intangible deadly network itself turns into a loop on the neck of one of the traces.

The dynamic and emotional center of the film is the topic taboo in modern society: teenage “death groups”. Another thing is that the authors of the “blue whales” did not seem “fascinating”. And to the topic of an inexplicable mass teenage suicide, they connected the topic of violence in schools and colleges, abuse of adults by their power over children. A la scandal in the 57th school. Here, too, a charismatic teacher of history arises, which behaves democratically with the students in love with him. Let's just say - too democratic ...

The plot also turns out to be quite confusing, jumps from the victim to the victim, circles in place, as in a terrible dream. The worst thing is that no one knows the true number of dead. Which, on the one hand, causes distrust of the texts of journalists, but on the other, it is understandable: before death, children erase all their accounts in social networks, as curators are ordered. And the new victims are declared again and again.

Moreover, the name of almost every deceased child becomes a network meme, delaying the organization or a deadly game of the next victims. In numerous interviews with adolescents and adults, the rules of the “game” are gradually being clarified, which helps to “free yourself”. It is necessary to complete 12 tasks (the media wrote about 50 tasks), and then you will be included in the “White List”. One of the most harmless tasks: to name your fear by name ... and accept it.

Tasks gradually turn off the instinct of self -preservation, induced. The last task is the roof.

Investigators seem to open the case “bringing to suicide”: but who “brings” children? This question remains open.

Investigators talk to their parents, with classmates of victims. Trying to find out the causes of the deadly virus.

One of these reasons is the fragility of the teenage psyche. But there is no logical explanation: one girl is a hunted, ugly, with unhappy love. The other is fine, family well -being, foreign warfare. Mom is a beauty and smart ... not suspecting her daughter’s injury.

The main idea that is implicitly displayed in the film - the children lack dialogue. In particular, an honest, trusting conversation with parents - without fear and reproaches. In such communities, children are looking for mutual understanding, recognition of their uniqueness, individuals. In addition, they are attracted by a secret. They are trying to prove with all their strength that they are worthy of entering the “Union of the Selected” - on the “White List”. It seems to them: then they will definitely not be alone.

But it seems that the authors are much more attracted by the genre, a criminal intrigue than the desire to plunge into the darkness of the most acute problem.

Already the second generation of children live on the Internet. According to the results of recent studies, they spend an average of eight hours a day on average. Until recently, it seemed to many parents: a child at home, with a computer. Okay, at least before our eyes. It turns out that virtual communication is sometimes more dangerous than any “bad company”.

And this story is universal. Waves of teenage suicides occur all over the world. Therefore, so many films and TV shows are shot on this topic.

There are links to the texts in the "new" in the credits. Dry statistics were given here: in 2019, three teenagers have made suicides daily in Russia every day, there are no data in the next way in the public domain.

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A certificate of publications in the "New" for those who really are interested in this important topic

How they caught "blue whales"

Chronology of the fight against "death groups"