The Foundation Pit

Countless Russian citizens are making their voices heard by using what they see as their last resort: social media. Some post from the cameras in their cars; others report from their kitchens, or the streets. All over the country, people tell of their frustration, unhappiness, and rage. Sometimes the issue is a relatively personal one and the focus of their ire is a local policymaker. More often, their discontent is squarely aimed at Putin and members of his party. They see that these corrupt and greedy figures are growing ever richer while the rest of Russia slumps into poverty.

Andrey Gryazev found his compatriots’ heartfelt pleas and tirades online and spliced them into an effective protest that is sometimes comical and absurd, but more often downright shocking. The film’s title comes from Andrej Platonov’s eponymous dystopian novel, in which the construction of a building for members of the proletariat in the early days of the Soviet Union never gets past the construction pit stage.

In this film, footage of construction site accidents and building sites with no apparent purpose or where shady activities take place serves as a prelude to a collective fist raised by the Russian people against their government.