Okay, so hear me out. 

Stalin Boys, co-directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever, reminded me an awful lot of Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl. 

Weird, huh? 

It wasn't because there was a sex doll to be found anywhere in the film, there wasn't. Instead, it was because there was this unwavering belief in the film that absolutely won me over and made me absolutely fall in love with these kids. The film, which just captured the Documentary Short Grand Prize at Indy Shorts and became Academy Award-qualified, centers around four Mexican-American middle school boys in a Texas border town who develop a most unusual obsession - Joseph Stalin. When their teacher, Lyric Aguilar, tells them about the Texas State History Fair, they end up writing a play about the Soviet dictator and his efforts to destroy anyone who opposes him on his way to absolute power. With cardboard props, fur hats, and no real acting experience to speak of they enter the competition as underdogs even as they leave their homes for the very first time. 

Okay, so back to that Lars and the Real Girl connection. 

Everyone needs a teacher like Lyric Aguilar, a glorious teacher who seemingly vacillates between bewildered amusement with these boys and their Stalin obsession and a downright touching willingness to show up for them anyway. It's that core sense of belief, allowing these boys to be who they are, that makes Stalin Boys such a wonderful, wonderful film. 

The boys? Led by the delightful Malachi, the only one who seems to really understand who Stalin was, this quartet is an absolute delight to watch as they learn more, create their play, learn their parts, and figure out how they are and are not like Stalin. While there's a quirky sense of wonder alive and well in Stalin Boys, there's a whole lot more going on here and watching these kids discover their truths is an absolute joy. 

Stalin Boys is beautifully lensed by DeKornfeld with an original score by Elori Saxl that serves as the perfect companion for the film. The film's color palette is a saturated, immersive visual wonder and there's never a moment when we're not absolutely enthralled by the story that is unfolding here. 

Produced in cooperation with Southern Methodist University’s Narrative Now, Stalin Boys picked up a a special jury award and audience award at SXSW earlier this year, and could now very well find itself on the Oscar radar and deservedly so. There's so much to love with Stalin Boys. I hope you get the chance to check it out. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic