Directors Ilya Khotinenko and Vladimir Karabanov will release a new film adaptation of Vladimir Zheleznikov's novella Scarecrow in Russian cinemas on August 27, 2026. The recently released trailer features dark color tones, tense music, close-up shots of tearful eyes, and whispering rather than shouting. Khotinenko and Karabanov previously directed the feature films Asphalt Sun and The Elephant.
The new adaptation updates the original story into a modern setting filled with smartphones, cyberbullying, and social media platforms. Actress Marya Simonova plays the lead role of high school student Anya Zaitseva. Actor Kirill Kyaro plays her father, who frowns, speaks about online complexities, and performs a rap verse in the film. Actress Kristina Asmus, known for comedy roles, the television series Interns, and a public divorce, plays a strict schoolteacher.
Plot and modern screenlife format
The story begins when high school student Anya Zaitseva moves from Moscow to a small town with her father. At her new school, Anya falls in love with Misha Volkov, the most popular student in her class. When Misha frames their classmates, Anya takes the blame upon herself to protect him.
Her classmates react by launching severe bullying against her both in real life and across social media networks. The new version incorporates screenlife storytelling, presenting events on electronic screens including smartphones, tablets, and computers. The production also features elements of a musical.
Instead of confronting a physical mob, Anya faces online harassment through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and instant messaging apps. Messages sent to her phone inform her that she is the disgrace of the class, while classmates gather likes under videos of her humiliation and unfollow her online. The film also includes a post-credits scene featuring dancing and a QR code to collect funds for a sequel.
Source novella and original film adaptation
Author Vladimir Zheleznikov wrote the original novella Scarecrow in 1981. He based the narrative on his own niece, who took the blame for a classmate and became the target of severe bullying. The novella was published in Pioneer magazine in 1981 before appearing as a standalone book.
Director Rolan Bykov adapted the novella into a landmark movie in 1983 that entered the Golden Fund of domestic cinema. Bykov's tragic film depicted cruelty, betrayal, and collective madness within a Soviet school setting. Actor Yuri Nikulin played a grandfather who silently did everything to protect his granddaughter Lena Bessoltseva while classmates chased her through the streets shouting that they would burn her.
Critical commentary and upcoming releases
A columnist for Vechernyaya Moskva questioned the need for a new adaptation, writing that altering Bykov's classic film was like repainting the Mona Lisa with a neural network. The columnist noted that calling the modern project an adaptation of Zheleznikov was like calling a hamburger an adaptation of a cow.
The reviewer stated that while Bykov portrayed psychological trauma and a tragedy of conscience, the modern version reduces a mob boycott to pressing a block button on a screen. The columnist added that commercial profit drove the decision to remake the story, remarking that viewers might prefer to stay home and rewatch the 1983 original. Russia is also producing a reboot of the 2000s television series Kamenskaya based on novels by Alexandra Marinina, titled Kamenskaya Reboot.
