According to School of Seduction, working-class women have few options in patriarchal Russia, and all of them involve finding a man. To aid young ladies in that quest, there are seduction schools where they can learn the timeless art of bumping, grinding and butt-wiggling their way into a prospective partner’s heart and pants – in particular, the pocket where he keeps his wallet.
Focused on a trio of women navigating this warped and sexist landscape, Alina Rudnitskaya’s documentary is an eye-opening snapshot of gender dynamics in modern Russia. Praised by President Vladimir Putin as a place where “a man is a man and a woman is a woman,” it’s a country that instills in its female population the belief that independence is a pathway to ostracization and sorrow, and that marriage and parenthood is the primary means by which happiness can be attained. As a result, there can be no greater aim than to land a man willing to put a literal ring on it – regardless of whether love is also part of the matrimonial package.
That’s where the schools of seduction come in.
Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Language: Russian
Subtitles: English
- Name in Original Language: School of Seduction
- Director: Alina Rudnitskaja
- Country: Denmark
- Year: 2019
- Length: 97
- Age limit: null
- Cinematography: Alina Rudnitskaja, Alexander Demyanenko, Fedor Bakulin
- Editing: Cathrine Ambus
- Music: Karwan Marouf
- Production: Danish Documentary
Showtimes:
- Cinema Sõprus: Thursday 30.01 - 20:30
- Tartu Elektriteater: Saturday, 1.02 - 16:30
- Cinema Artis, hall 1: Sunday, 2.02 - 19:40