Schizo (2004)
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 36
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 8
A stark and moving coming-of-age tale and crime thriller, Schizo gives viewers a peek into the lives of Kazakhstan's poor.
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 3
A stark and moving coming-of-age tale and crime thriller, Schizo gives viewers a peek into the lives of Kazakhstan's poor.
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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 553
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Movie Info
A teenage boy is thrown into a world of love, death, and deception in this powerful drama. Mustafa (Olzhas Nusuppaev) is a 15-year old boy living in Kazakhstan in the early 1990s. Nicknamed "Schizo" by his schoolmates because of several incidents of emotional instability, Mustafa left school and works for Sakura (Eduard Tabischev), his mother's boyfriend, who helps to organize bare-knuckle boxing tournaments for a cadre of bookmakers. Mustafa's job is to find likely fighters for Sakura, and one
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All Critics (39) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (8)
An unflinching look at poverty, expedience and harsh choices in a desolate environment.
Top CriticA stark illustration of a cold, hard world, and a sensitive look at a kid wanting a way out.
Offers not just the proverbial window into village life in Kazakhstan, but a panoramic view.
Nusuppaev simply isn't skilled enough to bring us along on Schizo's journey, and Omarova's sense of pace is uneven.
As admirable as some of the film might be, it's ultimately too sluggish and dreary to be very memorable.
The director creates a taut picture of a place, and a liberating moment of choice.
Omarova's thoughtful offering is not so much a visual triptych of the country but a human portrait of youthful purpose in the face of fisted danger.
It takes patience to get into this movie, but it does pay off.
The exotic setting and the starkness with which the young man's story is told--along with Nusuppaev's muted charisma--help it transcend the narrative commonplaces.
This Russian-made thriller is seriously lacking energy, which is surprising considering the material.
First-time director Guka Omarova has a strong eye for telling detail and a sensitivity to Mustafa's slow awakening.
Guka Omarova's assured first feature Schizo is a noir forced out into the sunlight.
An uncommonly moving feature about characters in desperate circumstances,Schizo features an incredible debut performance by its leading actor, a Kazakhstan orphan.
You'd by crazy to miss this Kazakhstan import.
An earnest also-ran.
While believable and well put-together, the story is a bit too slight to fully command our attention.
Audience Reviews for Schizo
Super Reviewer
It is interesting but as a whole, I just don't think it works. A near-miss.
AKA: [i]The Recruiter[/i]
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