Stand

It's an important, if flawed, film about the status of LGBT peoples in Russia, which French director Jonathan Taieb shot undercover in Wintry Ukraine (also no friend to gay folk) in 2013.

Anton (Renat Shuteey) and his lover, Vlad (Andrey Kurganov) are driving home from a night out when they witness what appears to be a vicious gay-bashing. Anton is a hot-head activist on the subject of Russian LGBT rights, but Vlad is the most sensible and cautious one. They don't stop to help, which creates a rift in their relationship.

Their close friend, Katya (Ekaterina Rusnak) and her boyfriend, Andrey (Andrey Koshman) try to intervene, but Anton, reading about the death of the fellow who was bashed, goes off the deep-end and brings down an icy maelstrom of hatred on himself.

The script, written by Constance Fischback, Fredrick Jean-Jacques, Anthony Robin and Taieb, unfolds at an excruciatingly deliberate pace. The film is full of gorgeous scenery and intense acting moments, but is hurt by the glacial unfolding. Both leads are attractive and the passion between them is solid, but Anton's disregard for both his and Vlad's safety is painful to watch. And the ultimate betrayal of Anton by someone close, whom you would not suspect of such treachery, is both sad and horrifying.

Filmed by Taieb and edited by Robin, it's a terrifying tale well-told, serving up all kinds of cautionary moments. It could have used more exposition, I suspect, to fill in who these two men are and why they are a couple, to help explain the strain in their partnership, but you won't go wrong picking it up and becoming a pro-LGBT activist yourself.

"Stand"
DVD
$19.99
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