Written by Adam Mast
THE TRIBE (Unrated)
I saw “The Tribe” at the Sundance Film Festival last January, and while it didn’t make my Top 10 Best of Fest list, it’s a film that continues to haunt me. It’s haunting for many reasons, one of which I’ll be getting to in a moment.
This challenging, brutal, and poetic import from the Ukraine centers around Sergey, a young deaf man who will do whatever it takes to fit in at a boarding school for the hearing impaired. After a rough start, he does eventually settle in. He even finds romance of sorts. Granted, the union appears to be based mostly on sex, but for him, it is a real connection. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that this particular boarding school is filled with a lot of bad apples.
When a tribe of “thug” students aren’t extorting money from their weaker classmates, they’re stealing from strangers, maiming innocents, and pimping out two of their own, all in an effort to make extra cash. And Sergey is at the center of all of this madness, looking for acceptance the only way he knows how.
“The Tribe” sort of plays like a Ukrainian version of “City of God” or “A Clockwork Orange.” It delves into the lives of angry, troubled hoods who will do anything to get ahead. It’s an ugly bit of business, and it features—among other things—graphic sexual content and extreme violence. Quite honestly, there were a couple of moments during this movie when I found myself looking down at the floor because it was simply too uncomfortable to keep my eyes on the screen.
Having said that, “The Tribe” is expertly crafted. It’s powerfully acted, and the cinematography is astonishing. As you probably gathered, this is an incredibly provocative film too. Tonally, there were parts that reminded me of Gaspar Noe’s disturbing but hypnotic “Irreversible.”
Some scenes are a little over-directed, but by and large, the dreamlike quality and the “fly on the wall” approach that director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky takes with the material is mesmerizing. Yes, there is a lot of awful stuff going on in this movie, but there is real artistry on display here.
What really makes “The Tribe” stick out and makes it such a challenging, haunting, and rewarding cinematic experience for those willing to take a chance on something way outside the box is that the entire movie is in sign language. No talking and no subtitles. It’s a true testament to the skill of both the filmmakers and an exceptional cast that “The Tribe” still speaks to the viewer. It may not always be what you want to hear, but it’s certainly a movie you’re not likely to forget. “The Tribe” got under my skin in a big way.
“The Tribe” opens in select theaters and on VOD on Wednesday, June 17.
