Even a career best performance from Aimee Lou Wood can’t save The Idiot(s), a wacky period piece about Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Directors: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert
Genre: Biographical, Drama
Run Time: 118′
BFI London Film Festival Screening: October 14, 2026
U.S. Release Date: TBA
U.K. Release Date: TBA
The 1869 novel ‘The Idiot’ by Fyodor Dostoevsky is widely considered a classic. In Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s The Idiot(s) we see the build up of Dostoevsky’s writing process, as he lives through turmoil in the years it took to write. It’s a whirlwind of chaos as Dostoevsky tries to battle his gambling addiction, attempting not to make enemies left right and centre along the way, and trying not to get on his wife’s last nerve, all whilst coming up with an idea for his best book yet. Simple, right?
Dostoevsky is played by Johnny Flynn (The Score). It’s a very demanding role but Flynn rises to the challenge and executes something robust. It, however, doesn’t feel like it’s the Dostoevsky. It instead feels like a fictional character, purely written just for this film and not based on something genuine. Dostoevsky’s lines are also all spoken in English (a language he didn’t know in real life), and whether that’s to appeal to a wider audience or because Flynn was just too perfect for the role they had to adapt, who knows. Authentic, no, but a good performance nonetheless.
As Dostoevsky’s wife Anna, Aimee Lou Wood (Seize Them!) is the standout of The Idiot(s). Anna is a fairly likeable character and Wood gives a phenomenal performance, but it makes absolutely no sense that she would stay with her husband after all the trouble he puts her through. Wood never fails to impress and continues to excel as an actress, but when the script is so dire it’s hard for even the two great performances from herself and Flynn to pick the film up once it begins to go downhill.
Englert is one saving grace of the film; his DoP work makes the film stylish, to counteract that maybe the story isn’t as entertaining as it could be. His strong point is his cinematography. The various period houses, mansions, and rooms the Dostoevsky’s find themselves in always look grand. Even when they end up in places that aren’t so nice, there’s always a mountain of books to catch a glimpse of their spines to see what influences Dostoevsky is reading to help spur his writing on ‘The Idiots’.
In the little time we spend getting to know Dostoevsky, we don’t find out too much about him at all. Most of the time he’s at the casino throwing his money away and not finding inspiration for his book. It works on some level with the odd bits of humor sprinkled throughout, like the weird addition of A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’ (this film is definitely not period accurate, or even attempting to be). It could have worked better as a TV series, but specifically this time in his life writing ‘The Idiot’ with more of a thriller suspense element added. After all, it’s more of an unusual reflection of Dostoevsky’s life than what really happened.
Whilst it’s not a film that has much substance to it, it has its entertainment value with Wood and Flynn. It’s a little wacky but it sometimes works. Szumowska’s Never Gonna Snow Again has a lot more grit and more to say, but still, The Idiot(s) is a fun ride.
The Idiot(s): Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
We follow Fyodor and Anna Dostoevsky through their unhinged life in the years it took to write the acclaimed ‘The Idiots’.
Pros:
- Aimee Lou Wood and Johnny Flynn are standouts that give two great performances
- Some funny moments that make the watch worth it in the end
Cons:
- A story that doesn’t quite seem to realise it’s based on true life and not completely fiction
- It’s more concerned with looking nice than having something interesting to say
The Idiot(s) was screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2026.