There were 14 feedback response slips returned after the showing of this film. The breakdown from these slips were as follows: Rating: 
- ‘Excellent’: 1 vote
- ‘Very Good’: 4 votes
- ‘Good’: 5 votes (inc. one comment below)
- ‘Satisfactory’: 0 votes
- ‘Poor’: 1 vote (via this discussion)
- + 5 comments submitted without a grade indicated
Feedback comments for “The Tribe”.
As ever, we are always interested to receive any additional comments people may have on this film.
Rating: poor
Despite brave acting by the young deaf actors, the ultimate purpose of the film is unclear to me. Is this really what Ukraine is like? Why so much seemingly gratuitous violence and sex? What sort of organisation for young people run on these lines? Hints of Clockwork Orange without the music and the style.
Rating: Good.
Rarely do I leave without filling in a feedback slip but this film had me dumbfounded as to what to make of it. I wanted to leave about a third of the way in, because I felt it had no real storyline and I couldn’t see any point to the endless violence. Then I started to enjoy it nonetheless. I’m not sure what changed but I realised I was gripped despite not knowing any sign language nor enjoying any of the spectacle of what was going on. I think I just started to care about the characters, wanting them to leave their bleakness behind. I agree there were elements of Clockwork Orange and Lord of the Flies but this was undoubtedly original. The soundtrack was slightly off, was this deliberate to disorientate the viewer? Not something I’d watch again, but it’s exactly the type of “different” film that makes the film club such a great club to be part of.
Having seen this, originally, at the London Film Festival, I must say I was less impressed on the second showing. The absence of dialogue (and subtitles) forces the audience to experience what it must be like for deaf person, trying to keep up with conversations amongst the hearing (and the opening, where we witness the school “welcome” from outside the school, indicates that we are always going to be considered interlopers). However, it could have been just as effective with characters we could have cared about, with some chance of redemption.
With the first viewing, I was somewhat reminded of the Rumanian orphanages, following the overthrow of Ceausescu. It is entirely possible that, in a former communist state that the deaf/dumb could be institutionalised – however, why would all the teachers be non-speaking. Also, the scenes at the passport office, no one in the queue were speaking and the two officials were communicating with the girls using sign language. The second viewing left me feeling the whole premise was a fantasy.