Virtue is a matter of interpretation in The Student (Uchenik), as the titular teen challenges the patience and perspectives of his mother, teachers and classmates by spouting bible verse. Adapting German playwright’s Marius von Mayenburg’s controversial theatre work Martyr, writer/director Kirill Serebrennikov extends the concept of the disillusioned youthful know-it-all to an uncommon extreme, complete with new-found faith, near-constant theological debates, and alternatingly satirical, scathing and surreal dissections of religious fanaticism; however his assured handling of the ambitious material inspires an intriguing film to match.

Main cast: Petr Skvortsov, Julia Aug, Svetlana Bragarnik, Victoria Isakova, Aleksandra Revenko, Aleksandr Gorchilin, Anton Vasiliev, Irina Vasiliev.