In the Dark

An old blind man lives in a grey Moscow suburb with his clever cat. At first sight, this powerful documentary is just this. The man manufactures string bags that nobody wants, not even if he offers them to passers-by for free. His work has become redundant. Time passes by. He fills his days by cursing the cat that continually jumbles up his apartment in search of the balls of thread the man uses for his work. He patiently spends hours disentangling the yarn. The viewer cannot help but ask himself what reason this man still has to live. He does not have any friends. Nobody cares about him, and no one is waiting for him or his work. He cannot even see the world anymore. His life has become a blind alley on all sides. Is this film criticising the old communism with its useless overproduction and a state that ruins the lives of its citizens? Does it visualise the situation of post-communist decay in which everybody has to take care of himself and nobody pays any attention to those who fail to do so? Could be, but the maker subtly leaves any political message in the background. We just see an old man and his cat.