“Nymphalidae” is an exciting action thriller made with enough passion and energy to compensate for its flaws. The premise is good – after his best friend is killed, a detective is on the quest to find the guilty, even if that means fighting his superiors, and the story lives up to what one could expect from such a plot. It’s an engaging tale about a man doing whatever it takes to find the truth and it benefits from rather decent action sequences.
Actually, for a film with such a limited budget as this one (not to mention one that was made during the Russian invasion of Ukraine), the effort is incredibly solid. There is a nice sense of tension that keeps the momentum alive and makes us invest in the plot. This is achieved thanks to the director’s clear vision of what he is trying to do, which could be even compared to what Jean-Luc Godard did with his “Alphaville” as it features a plot that is clearly inspired by high-profile films, and which tries to emulate them with a minimal budget while providing a few winks and references to classic films of the genre and trying to make it “American” while being a European production. While some might find this problematic, it really adds a lot of charm. Granted, said charm takes away some realism, but, at the same time, it turns it into a rather enjoyable experience, and we can’t deny that “Nymphalidae” is an entertaining film… maybe even more than high-profile productions that take themselves too seriously.
The film is aware of its limited production, but rather than trying to hide it away, it cleverly embraces its minimalism, and the direction is good enough to make us want to see what else could the filmmaker do, especially with a bigger budget. The performances are another highlight. While it can be a little odd that all the characters are rather young individuals (which comes as one of the biggest problems, realism-wise), the cast is committed and convincing enough, especially in the case of star/director Nikita Kolchev, whose charisma could be compared to that of a young Jean-Pierre Leud. Martha Yarova comes as another strong element, particularly in the third act of the film.
Production-wise, some of the locations weren’t particularly convincing (for instance, the police office) and the cinematography, edition, and music were uneven at points. Some close-ups were rather odd, there are a few moments when the music is distracting, and the stuttering scenes didn’t feel real. And while most of the story worked mostly fine, there were a few elements that could have been further explored, such as Nick’s reaction to his best friend’s death, or the way Nick interacts with either Leia or Alex. The dialogue could have been polished a bit to make it sound more realistic. But, again, the filmmaker’s passion is clear and the cast is committed enough to make us overlook these flaws and keep us invested in the movie, making it an interesting viewing, and it sure would be interesting to see more projects from the director/actor Nikita Kolchev.
Director Biography – Nikita Kolchev
Born on July, 19, 1991 in Karlo-Marksove, Donetsk region, Ukraine.
Studied at Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Institute of Philology. Master degree (Ukrainian language and literature & English language).
First short film was shot in 2012 with Olympus mini camera (incomplete)
First feature movie was shot in 2013 – Opening E2-E4 (student project)
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