Russian Snark

In my films I explore relationship between man and natural world. I have no interest in narrative. Narrative is for children.

– MIsha (Stephen Papps)

Art is way of seeing. Is gift and curse.

– Misha (Stephen Papps)

I was interested in the dilemma of the artist, that what’s good for the art may not necessarily be good for the person.

– Writer/director Stephen Sinclair in The NZ Herald, 2010

I liked the directness and wilfulness of the character. I think he’s funny because he’s rude, a fish out of water.

– Actor Stephen Papps, on the character of Misha, in the Russian Snark press kit

It's almost a parable about a very blinkered, self-obsessed artist and how his obsession with his work causes him to be alienated from everyone around him, and how he finally manages to redefine his relationship with other people and the world.

– Writer/director Stephen Sinclair, OnFilm magazine, June 2011, page 15 (Volume 28, number 5)

I guess films like this are often made by very serious artists who feel so strongly about their subject that humour might seem to be a kind of compromise of their vision, or something ... I think that's bullshit. I think that there's nothing so serious that it can't be humorous as well.

– Writer/director Stephen Sinclair. in the making of documentary

I never wanted to finish the shoot day! In many ways it was a healing experience being Russian, and playing a Russian so far away from home.

– Actor Elena Stejko on playing Nadia, in the Russian Snark press kit

The greatest challenge I faced was placating my wife! [laughs] Spending personal funds on a project that took me away from the family for long periods of time was not conducive to conjugal harmony . . . I'm not the first person to observe that life behind the camera can start to mirror what's going into the can.

– Writer/director Stephen Sinclair, OnFilm magazine, June 2011, page 15

Part of the collective febrile mind behind early Peter Jackson pics Brain Dead and Meet the Feebles, Stephen Sinclair makes his feature film directorial debut with this eccentric, eclectic but ultimately actually quite engaging Kiwi black comedy . . . With its minimalist, atmospheric soundtrack and arty black and white imagery and lashings of “artistic” nudity . . . it has more in common with the works of Florian Habicht than this country’s more mainstream, multiplex-friendly fare.

– Reviewer James Croot in The Press, 7 July 2011

Shot on location in Auckland with a cast featuring a few familiar faces, Russian Snark is a film that doesn't lend itself to easy categorisation or critique . . . Drier than a mouthful of Weetbix, Russian Snark has oodles of wry pathos. Aided by some classy cinematography and a look that belies its modest budget, Stephen Sinclair's daring concept will be lauded by fans of cult cinema, but is likely to be a little too obscure for the great unwashed.

– Otago Daily Times writer Mark Orton in a three star review, 18 June 2011

In his self-funded feature debut, [Stephen] Sinclair, who co-wrote Ladies Night and the second Rings movie, turns this flimsiest of pretexts into an unusual love story which is far more engaging than it promises to be. In large part that's down to the irrepressibly eccentric performance by [Stephen] Papps. He convincingly chews some pretty complicated dialogue in Russian and the intonation of his Russian-English accent is just right, but he also nails the essence of the doggedly unworldly and quixotic Misha.

– NZ Herald writer Peter Calder in a three and a half star review, 16 June 2011

New Zealand is beautiful country. But I'm sorry to say it is beauty that is not not conveyed in New Zealand art. Not art I have seen.

– Misha (Stephen Papps), early in the excerpt

At its heart the film is about the artistic process, how obsessive and alienating it can become, and its destructive impact on relationships. As the character Misha says, 'the logical conclusion of artistic enterprise is madness.' Also: 'it is better to be a good man than a great artist.'

– Writer/director Stephen Sinclair, in the Russian Snark press kit

...a strange but delightful beast, well worth hunting out.

– The Sunday Star-Times, August 2011

[The film] is also unique in that it is not North American centric and has a very European and Slavic feel to it . . . The fact we have about 40 per cent Russian language in the film also sets it apart, and as far as I am aware this is the first New Zealand feature film to be made in Russian and English. It will definitely stand out in the crowd!

– Producer Liz DiFiore, in the Russian Snark press kit

...He's very straight up about what works and what doesn't for him . . . it's good to work with someone who knows what he wants.

– Stephen Papps who plays Misha, on working with writer/director Stephen Sinclair, in the making of documentary

I was absolutely smitten by Stephen's devotion to his part. He started learning the whole language, not just his lines... by the end he was so good and convincing with the Russian language that between takes I would often forget and speak to him in Russian.

– Actor Elena Stejko on acting alongside Stephen Papps in Russian Snark, OnFilm magazine, June 2011, page 16