Film Club Screening: The Needle (1988)

Film Club Screening: The Needle (1988)

At our film club, we’re watching The Needle — the 1988 film starring Viktor Tsoi.

This film is often remembered through its quotes and music, yet not everyone has seen it in full — and that’s a mistake. The Needle is not about a legend or nostalgia. It’s a quiet, harsh, and honest story about a person trying to save someone else, while being unable to save himself.

Tsoi barely “acts” here — he simply exists on screen. He speaks little, stays silent a lot, watches more than he explains. That’s where the film’s power lies. It’s shot roughly, unevenly, sometimes strangely — and precisely because of that, it feels real. Add the music of Kino and the sense of an ending era, which today feels even sharper than it did back then.