Dom Durakov

A year past due:

Дом Дураков (House of Fools):

Crazy in Love?



The film House of Fools is a dark comedy, a romance, and a war film (without being a war film). It takes place during the Chechen war, at an asylum where the doctor has left the residents in order to find a bus. Zhanna, a schizophrenic girl, is the film's heroine, who tries to keep the residents together. There are many elements that give this film, based on a true story, a surreal feeling.

The first, and probably most prominent, element is the film's use of music. One of the major plot themes is Zhanna's belief that Bryan Adams, the Canadian pop star, is her fiancé. Throughout the movie, Bryan Adams is envisioned by Zhanna: at their wedding, he taking care of her while the asylum is getting raided, while she is sleeping. The song he sings is "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman" and its lyrics have great significance, especially in relation to Zhanna and her relationships with different men in the film (all of whom, coincidentally, are artists- a singer, an "actor" and a poet).

It first highlights the relationship between Zhanna and Bryan. Because he is the one singing to her in her dreams, and because she feels he is her fiancé, it shows the significance of his place in her life. However, there comes a moment when not even Bryan can take her away from the reality of the war outside the asylum. It is when the asylum is being raided; Zhanna is covered in blood and has just found the Lithuanian woman shot in her room. Suddenly, Bryan shows up and comforts her. This is short lived; however, as the Chechen soldiers interrupt the reverie. This interruption shows that Bryan's place is no longer as important to Zhanna as before (she has already denounced him as her fiancé at this point, having chosen Ahmed). Also, the end of the movie shows Bryan Adams leaving Zhanna…he disappears and she's left with her white hat.

The song also relates to Zhanna and Ahmed. The lyrics are a guideline on how to love a woman. Zhanna, having memorized this song and its meaning, has probably assumed that Ahmed knows how to love a woman, especially since he's asked for her hand in marriage. She decides to leave Bryan, in order to start a life with Ahmed. Ahmed, though, does not love her that way (or if he does, he shows it in an odd way). Finally, the lyrics seem to show that Ali does know how to love a woman. This is seen when he accepts Ahmed in front of the doctor, in order for Zhanna to be happy. I actually wonder if Ali, as a poet, could be seen as a tangible Bryan Adams- writing his poetry for Zhanna.

The accordion and its music also play a significant part in this film. It gives such a carnival feel, lightening situations that are in no way happy. Zhanna uses her accordion to get away from unpleasant incidents, like nurses struggling with a patient or the Chechen fighting at the engagement party. She even starts playing it when the asylum is getting bombed; it seems to be a defense mechanism. The instrument, though, is what causes Ahmed and Zhanna to first interact and, perhaps, fall in love. It is also the thing that is played during the patients' gym class, which seems to be their favorite time of day.

Another thing that stood out musically was the nasheed sung by the Chechen bandits at the engagement party. It was so haunting and calming. It was, again, the use of music in an attempt to keep peace.

The themes of the grotesque and also the carnival are prominent in this film. First, there are the over-the-top characters. Vika and Shorty first come to mind. Vika is a lady, reminiscent of Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeny Todd. She is loud, stubborn, and her makeup makes her resemble a clown. Shorty is a little person with crazy hair and mannerisms. Goga is also a somewhat clownish character. He, with his outrageous costumes, was a lot like Jamie Farr's character in M*A*S*H.

The characters, mixed with the carnival-esque accordion music, gave the film a feel of Cirque du Soleil. I was especially reminded of the movie of the show Alegria. The characters had similar qualities, and even had a romance amidst darker things. Zhanna states at one point that she wants to be in the circus. That's why she plays the accordion (though only one song) and dances. I saw Zhanna and Ali as ring leaders in the group, rather than actual participants in the "circus." They kept the peace more than the actual nurses and doctors.

However, it is after Zhanna is left by Ahmed that she is no longer a leader, but rather becomes a participant. It is also when things move from bizarre to grotesque. As recently abandoned Zhanna plays her accordion in the rain, amongst the wreckage, her makeup has run and she looks freakishly like a Harlequin. She then utters what I found to be the most haunting lines in the film:

Ahmed, I love you. Don't kill me.

Fire, I love you. Don't kill me.

Mud, I love you. Don't kill me.



It's heartbreaking, and this is the moment when we see her at her most mentally unstable. Up to this point, she just seems a bit quirky, and after this point she goes quickly downhill.

There is the bizarre Mass that seems to be going on down in the basement of the asylum. The old man upstairs is making noise for the first time, singing what sounds like some sort of Jewish piyyutim or maybe another nasheed. This is occurring while the rest of the patients are downstairs, crossing themselves and praying. Shorty even has his head covered. Goga breaks at this point, declaring that he can't take it anymore, and this is where the bizarreness continues. He goes outside, and amongst the smoking wreckage, he plays a recorder and dances a jig. It's so surreal, and combined with Zhanna's earlier playing of the accordion, it either causes one to focus on the odd situation or the chaos going on around the characters.

The names of the characters may also hold some significance. Zhanna is the heroine, and her name means God is Gracious. Grace is an unearned favor, received by God. This coincides with the conversation she has with the old man upstairs. They discuss God and his forgiveness, and the man likens it to eating an apple. He sees all the nations on it, and he can't destroy it…all he can do is forgive. At the end of the film, Zhanna stares at her apple and smiles. This is symbolic of her forgiving of Ahmed. The subtitles translated her name as Janna, and while I realize Janna and Zhanna have the same meaning, I can't help but relate Janna to Janus, the two-headed Roman God. This is because Janus had two heads, and Zhanna was schizophrenic. Also, Janus' two faces pointed toward the past and the future. Zhanna moves her from her past in the asylum to her future with Ahmed. The use of past and future is also evident in the use of trains in the movie. The patients gather as a community to watch the trains go by at night, and they signify a leaving. When Zhanna leaves the asylum to go to her engagement party, the patients gather together the same way they do to watch the trains leave.

Other characters' names have some significance. Vika means Victory. Vika is a loud, strong woman who is almost gun-happy. She is adamant to be taught how to shoot, and she is the one constantly demanding freedom. She is willing to fight for it. Ironically, when she feels victorious (when the doctor is discovered missing, and the patients attempt to leave) she gets scared by the tanks, and returns to her "prison." Ali means Exalted, and I would definitely characterize him as a guardian angel of sorts. He is the protector of everyone in the asylum. He even risks shunning (and eventually abuse) by the Chechen in order to make sure Zhanna is safe. Ahmed means Highly Praised. While I have some difficulty praising him, the fact that he comes back makes him more likable. However, I'm not entirely convinced he came back for Zhanna. He was most likely a coward, and knew Zhanna would help him stay safe. The patients, however, seemed to esteem him. Perhaps because they knew how much Zhanna cared for him, they accepted him in a scene that reminded me of a less grotesque version of Freaks. The scene where they're all eating and chanting: "Gooble Gobble Gooble Gobble; We accept her, we accept her; One of us, one of us."

This beautiful film was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, who is the elder brother of Nikita Mikhalkov. I found his style a wonderful entwinement of real and surreal, beautiful and grotesque. Konchalovsky is actually married to Yuliya Vysotskaya, the actress who played Zhanna. He has recently directed a "True Story" of the Nutcracker story, and Yuliya will be playing the Mother/Snow Queen (www.imdb.com). The film is American, and stars Hollywood actors; however, I'm very excited to see it. If all Konchalovsky's films are as well done as House of Fools, I will definitely continue to watch them.