Russian cinema's late June picture is primarily a streaming story. Domestic platforms have built catalogs that stand on their own. Kinopoisk closes its June cycle with strong art house and genre picks. IVI is holding its comedy audience. Here's what matters.
Kinopoisk: The Month's Best Content
Zvyagintsev's catalog is Kinopoisk's strongest argument for subscription. Leviathan, Loveless, The Return, and Elena are all here. Each one rewards repeat viewing. The documentary series on Soviet cinema concludes this week — strong final installment covering the Tarkovsky era with archive footage that hasn't been widely seen outside Russia.
IVI and the Comedy Audience
IVI's late-June strength is comedy and family entertainment. But genre fans should know: Brother (Brat) and the Trigger series are both running strong on the platform. Night Watch is also on IVI — Bekmambetov's fantasy remains Russia's clearest proof of domestic blockbuster capability. Petrov's Flu on Kinopoisk is the month's most underrated pick for anyone who hasn't seen Serebrennikov's work.
Leviathan
Zvyagintsev at his most politically charged. A man, his land, the state. Cannes Best Screenplay. Essential Russian cinema. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Loveless
Zvyagintsev's 2017 Cannes Jury Prize winner. A boy goes missing during his parents' bitter divorce. Cold and devastating. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Brother (Brat)
Balabanov's 1997 generation-defining thriller. Danila arrives in St. Petersburg with a gun and no plan. IVI.
IVI
Night Watch
Bekmambetov's 2004 supernatural blockbuster. The Others vs the Night Watch in Moscow. Russia's highest-grossing film at the time. IVI.
IVI
Compartment No. 6
2021 Cannes Grand Prix winner. A Finnish student on a Russian train meets an unlikely travel companion. Quietly exceptional. IVI.
IVI
Petrov's Flu
Serebrennikov's Yekaterinburg fever dream. Shot before his arrest. No other Russian film looks or feels like this. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Chernobyl (HBO)
Craig Mazin's HBO mini-series is the most accurate and devastating nuclear disaster dramatization made. Available on Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Hard to Be a God
Aleksei German's 13-year final project. A medieval alien world drowning in filth. Challenging, singular, unforgettable. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
The Return
Zvyagintsev's Venice Golden Lion debut. A father resurfaces. His two sons don't know what to make of him. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Elena
Zvyagintsev's 2011 social thriller. Class tension, a marriage, a decision that changes everything. Okko.
Okko
Stalingrad (2013)
Russia's IMAX war epic. The 1942 battle, human stories at the center. Bondarchuk's biggest production. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
Hipsters (Stilyagi)
Todorovsky's 2008 musical. Soviet youth culture rebellion in color. Russia's most entertaining period film. Kinopoisk.
Kinopoisk
To the Lake (Epidemiya)
Russia's best survival thriller. Moscow goes dark, a group heads north. Netflix acquired this for global audiences. Tense throughout.
Netflix
The Major
Bykov's 2013 morality thriller. A police officer covers up an accident — then can't stop covering. Okko.
Okko
Trigger (Russian Series)
Kinopoisk's hit psychological drama. A disgraced therapist returns with unconventional methods. Compelling season-long arc.
Kinopoisk