Scarecrow (Чучело, Chuchelo) is a 1983 Soviet Rolan Bykov film starring Kristina Orbakaite.
Lena is a new girl in school whom her classmates come to despise. After an incident for which she takes the blame because she does not want to see her friends get punished, the people turn against her, and even burn her in effigy. She and her grandfather are forced to leave town. But the children at the school regret what they have done, and at the end write on the blackboard "Scarecrow, forgive us!"
This film caused a huge shock to the public, who were used to depictions of the Soviet Pioneers as universally honorable and always willing to lend a fellow a hand. Now, there was a film showing just how cruel and treacherous even the Pioneers could be. The State Committee on Cinematography wanted to stop filming, but the director Rolan Bykov successfully prevented any details from leaking out about the plot. Despite the controversy and the attempts at state intrusion, the film was shown, became popular, and won several awards.
Do not confuse with Batman villain The Scarecrow, the Buster Keaton comedy The Scarecrow, the 1973 movie Scarecrow starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino, or the 2002 Slasher Movie Scarecrow.
Tropes
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Everyone calls Lena "Scarecrow."
- Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: Lena, to the other children.
- Moral Guardians: The State Committee on Cinematography worried that the film would set the image of the Pioneers back sixty years.
- Oh, Crap!: "Scarecrow, forgive us!"
- She Really Can Act: Kristina Orbakaite surprised everyone by getting the part, and her strong performance allayed any concerns she had been cast under pressure from her mother Alla Pugacheva.
- Teens Are Monsters: Not quite in Eden Lake territory, but very close.
