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Froth review – squatters, divers and poachers in Russia’s military graveyard
This otherworldly doc layers the stories of idiosyncratic individuals who have chosen to live on the Kola peninsula
On the northern coast of the Russian Kola peninsula, bordering the infamously tempestuous Barents Sea, lie half-abandoned military bases, their mossy structures turning ghostly against the silver-grey winter sky. Looking more like a setting for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film, the area hardly resembles an ideal place to put down roots. Nevertheless, Ilya Povolotsky’s otherworldly documentary shows a small, idiosyncratic community striving to lead meaningful lives in this inhospitable environment.
While these unusual souls hail from different backgrounds, they all appear to be living outside the contemporary course of history. Former marine Bardak spends his autumnal years squatting in a rundown building even though his peers opted to move to the cities. Middle-aged Alexander operates a quasi-water bus service, a métier he hopes his teenage daughter Masha will inherit. Still, the young girl is more grounded on land: one particularly spirited sequence finds Masha sprinting with her friend around a shopping mall, where attractive window displays trump the solemn austerity of her father’s cabin.
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