New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

The New Blockheads as a private case screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, September 19, 2021


By Justin Almodovar

originally published: 09/14/2021




“We were fearless orphans looking back and destroying all these ghosts” is the quote that The New Blockheads as a private case, a feature length documentary film by Lana Berndl, opens with. The film follows Sergei Spirikhin, a former member of the idealistic group of performance artists called The New Blockheads, as he performs various works of art around the city of Vienna. The New Blockheads as a private case will be playing at the Fall 2021 New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, September 19.

This film is presented in a series of seven novellas. The way that the information is presented to the viewer is through the lenses of a couple of cameramen who are following Spirikhin around the city of Vienna on foot. This provides for a first-hand experience as to how the various art performances are received by the general public. While the viewer is not necessarily in Vienna with the filmmakers, they are able to understand the premise behind street performance in a major city, as this is essentially a universal experience for anyone who has actually been in an urban environment. As far as this particular film is concerned, the first-hand experience provides the viewer with a feeling of participation in the journey that Spirikhin and the filmmakers are on to uncover what art truly is or can be.

The first is titled “Spirikhin’s Crimes” and this is where the bulk of Spirikhin’s street performances are displayed. The first performance has to do with a series of random objects displayed on a paper towel that is stretched to the length of an entire road. The viewer watches as Spirikhin and his friend Vladimir discuss the installation and how the ambiguity of the piece adds to the wonder behind it. It becomes clear to the viewer that this film is going to be questioning the idea of art itself, and what exactly can be classified as such.

The next performance piece is one where Spirikhin walks around Vienna carrying a cross, that he has made, and which he taped pieces of fake dollar bills onto (the bills appearing relatively real to the onlooker). There is something to be said about the settings in this performance because each place that Spirikhin brought the money cross to elicited a different response and gave the cross a different meaning.

At an art gallery, where Spirikhin was trying to present this piece to the gallerist as a valid art installation, he was immediately rejected because filming was not allowed in the gallery; he was unable to even speak his truth. This interaction displayed on screen forces the viewer to wonder whether or not they should accept this cross as a form of art. At a bank, Spirikhin brought to the viewers attention the idea that the United States of America prints money on paper all the time. He then argues that he should be able to exchange his own printed money for the money that the government printed for him, for what then is the difference between the two? Then, at a church, the cross takes on a whole different meaning. Spirikhin brings up the long standing tradition of bribery in the Catholic church and conveys that the concept of tithing is essentially a way for the Church itself to make money, while the churchgoer can be sure that they’ve secured a spot in God’s good graces. Spirikhin then attempts to bribe the Priest with his money cross in exchange for the Priest’s blessing. Interestingly, the people wielding the cameras refuse to enter the church as in their eyes it is forbidden to film inside. This leaves out key information for the viewer as to what the interaction between Spirikhin and the priest looked like first-hand. Here, the lack of footage actually adds to the message of the film, as it can be a testament to the power that the Catholic church holds over certain people. This adds another layer of meaning to the performance with the money cross and enhances the viewers experience with footage that does not even exist.

The next four novellas consist of footage from times when the New Blockheads all performed their art pieces together, some twenty years earlier. This footage is of key importance to the film as it provides the viewer with a context of what Spirikhin is trying to accomplish through his controversial performances. A viewer who may have seen him as slightly out of his mind, now shifts their understanding to a space where it is clear that the tests being performed on the members of society are acts of pure genius. This allows the viewer to make their own deductions about Spirikhin’s performances as the film progresses.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



The last novella is simply titled “Toilet” where Spirikhin is sitting on the toilet, speaking simultaneously to someone on the phone and the viewer themselves, about what the experience of watching his performances was like. It seems that the question that the film has been toying with of ‘what is art?’ is finally answered when Spirikhin looks directly at the camera and says “I mean, I jumped on the stage with my heart.” Art here is an expression of the self, unfiltered and ready to be. And if the viewer were to ask ‘when is the right time to express myself through art?’ they may look to Sergei Spirikhin who would say “Tomorrow is probably too late. And yesterday it was still too early!”

Don’t miss Lana Berndl’s quirky documentary The New Blockheads as a private case at the Fall 2021 New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, September 19 where it screens live at 7PM in Voorhees Hall #105 (Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey) and all day via Video On Demand. A purchased ticket gives you access to both these screenings. Go here for more info. Go here for more info on the New Jersey Film Festival: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalfall2021.eventive.org/welcome

 

 




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here




FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


How

How to Train Your Dragon in Concert

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: film

Click here for full event listing

 

How

How to Train Your Dragon in Concert

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 2:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film

Click here for full event listing

 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: Moana 2

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 @ 7:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film

Click here for full event listing

 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: Moana 2

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 @ 10:30am
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film

Click here for full event listing

 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: The Wild Robot

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 @ 7:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film


Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

The

The ShowRoom presents: UNSTREAMABLE CINEMA – Four Daring Films You Won't Find Online

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- This summer, The ShowRoom proudly launches UNSTREAMABLE CINEMA—a provocative new series showcasing four bold and controversial films that are currently unavailable on any streaming platform. These are rare, one-night-only opportunities to see these uncompromising works on the big screen, where they belong.



Fall

Fall 2025 New Jersey Film Festival Preview

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Film Festival returns to Rutgers University September 5 through October 10, 2025. As it has done the last few years, the festival will include select in-person screenings with all films available via video on-demand (VOD) as well. There are also a few screenings available only via VOD. Twenty films will have their New Jersey or Area Premiere (Middlesex County).



The

The Levoy Theatre hosts the CUT International Short Film Festival

(MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre hosts the CUT International Short Film Festival September 19-20, 2025. The festival's motto is 'Short Films for Quick Minds'. Its aim is to become the premier festival in New Jersey for short form films.



Count

Count Basie Center for the Arts presents An Evening With Francis Ford Coppola and screening of "Megalopolis"

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Legendary director, Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders) is bringing his monumental 2024 film, Megalopolis, to select cities across the country. The tour kicks off at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 7:00pm.



The

The Williams Center to Screen "Wayward Kin" by David Joseph Volino

(RUTHERFORD, NJ) -- After a four-year-long production process, filmmaker and New Jersey native, David Joseph Volino, is sharing the full-length feature, Wayward Kin, with local audiences. See the film for one night only at The Williams Center in Rutherford on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. The screening begins at 7:00pm with the cast and crew in attendance.