Why Don't You Just Die (Russian: Папа, сдохни) is a 2018 Russian dark comedy thriller film directed by Kirill Sokolov and starring Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaly Khaev, Yevgenia Kregzhde and Yelena Shevchenko. The release took place in Russia on April 4, 2019.
| Why Don't You Just Die! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kirill Sokolov |
| Written by | Kirill Sokolov |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Dmitry Ulyukaev |
| Edited by | Kirill Sokolov |
| Music by | Vadim Karpenko Sergey Solovyov |
Production company | White Mirror Film Company |
| Distributed by | Arrow Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Budget | ₽50 million |
| Box office | ₽2 million |
Plot
editOlga, the daughter of a police officer named Andrei Gennadievich, persuades her boyfriend, Matvei, to murder her father, claiming that Andrei abused her as a child. Armed with a hammer, Matvei enters Andrei’s apartment, only to be caught and overpowered by Andrei, who ties him up and begins a brutal interrogation, suspecting he was sent by someone. When Matvei reveals his motives, Andrei is shaken, leading to a violent clash that uncovers a stash of money hidden in the family sofa. Matvei manages to escape briefly, but a police colleague, Evgenich, arrives and a deadly confrontation ensues, bringing long-held secrets of corruption, betrayal, and revenge to light.
Flashing back, the film reveals Andrei and Evgenich’s dark dealings, including taking bribes and covering up crimes. In the present, Olga admits that her abuse claim was a lie to get her hands on her father’s hidden fortune. As betrayals mount, Olga stabs Matvei, Andrei shoots his friend, and the chaos ultimately turns deadly for the entire family. In the end, a severely injured but miraculously alive Matvei stumbles out of the blood-stained apartment, leaving behind the very money that sparked the carnage.
Cast
edit- Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Matvey
- Vitaly Khaev as Andrey Gennadievitch
- Yevgenia Kregzhde as Olga "Olya" Lekhovskaya
- Yelena Shevchenko as Natalia "Tasha", Olya's mother
- Mikhail Gorevoy as Yevgenich
- Igor Grabuzov as Oleg
- Aleksandr Domogarov Jr. as a maniac
Release
editThe premiere screening of the film took place on August 13, 2018 as part of the XXVI national festival "Window to Europe", where it took first place in the voting of film critics and won the main prize of the festival in the feature film competition.
Why Don't You Just Die! is scheduled to be theatrically released in the Russian Federation in 2019.
Reception
editOn review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 74 reviews, and an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "As wickedly smart as it is energetic, Why Don't You Just Die! should satisfy audiences in the mood for a gore-soaked good time."[1] It also has a score of 69 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]
Ed Potton of The Times rated the film 4 stars out of 5.[3] Nikki Baughan of Empire rated the film 4 stars out of 5.[4] William Hughes of The A.V. Club rated the film "B".[5] Wendy Ide of The Observer rated the film 4 stars out of 5.[6] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 4 stars out of 5.[7]
The film received positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times,[8] The New York Times,[9] NPR,[10] Variety,[11] and The Hollywood Reporter.[12]
Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film a more mixed review, rating it 2.5 stars out of 4.[13]
References
edit- ^ "WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE! (PAPA, SDOKHNI)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ https://www.metacritic.com/movie/why-dont-you-just-die!
- ^ Potton, Ed (17 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die! review — violent Russian comedy thriller is a real blast". The Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Baughan, Nikki (20 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die! Review". Empire. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Hugh, William (21 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die! is a euphoric dose of pitch-black Russian violence". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (18 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die! review – from Russia with a claw hammer". The Observer. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (15 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die! review – ingenious drama with hints of Tarantino". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Murray, Noel (20 April 2020). "Review: Throwback 'Why Don't You Just Die!' brings back pulpy memories — Russian-style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Kenny, Glenn (20 April 2020). "'Why Don't You Just Die!' Review: Attempted Murder, but Make It Comedy". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (9 April 2020). "Gore-Flecked 'Why Don't You Just Die!' Is Brutally Fun". NPR. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (8 April 2020). "'Why Don't You Just Die!': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (12 December 2018). "'Why Don't You Just Die!' ('Papa, sdokhni'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Abrams, Simon (17 April 2020). "Why Don't You Just Die!". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.