Character Relationship Map: Kicking Off

Characters

• Ticher (played by Aleksandr Ratnikov) — supporting

  Ticher is involved in organized football violence and travels with supporters to the derby. He participates in attacks, gives private history lessons, and argues that fighting is a rule-governed form...

• Little One (played by Nikita Kukushkin) — supporting

  Little One travels through the Moscow subway with Ticher and other football supporters on the way to the derby, amid escalating violence between rival fans.

• Elephant (played by Evgeny Berezin) — supporting

  Elephant is targeted in an attack by Ticher's group. He barely survives the encounter, and his phone is taken after it falls from his pocket.

• Ticher's father (played by Valeriy Barinov) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Ticher's father → Ticher (father)

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ticher → Elephant (Conflict Opponent) — Ticher is aligned with the group that targets Elephant in a violent confrontation.

  Ticher and his group discuss an attack on Elephant, admitting that they were supposed to track him rather than beat him.

• Ticher → Little One (Social Travel Companion) — They are companions within the supporter group during the journey to the match.

  Ticher travels through the Moscow subway with Little One and other football supporters on the way to the derby.

Story Analysis

The film contrasts public football spectacle with organized supporter violence, suspicion, personal identity, and an unresolved cycle of retaliation.

Plot Progression

1. History Before the Derby — The film juxtaposes a lesson about Peter I and Russian modernization with preparations for the CSKA-Spartak radio broadcast. Ticher then travels toward the match with Little One and other supporters.
2. Violence Beneath the Spectacle — A subway clash between rival supporters becomes a mass brawl. Ticher's group later discusses its attack on Elephant and the taking of his phone.
3. Fear Of The Informant — The supporters question how the police located them and suspect that one of their associates may be cooperating with the authorities. Suspicion destabilizes the group.
4. Lessons In Organized Violence — Ticher's private history lessons expose the contrast between intellectual discussion and his violent lifestyle. He presents fighting as a form of war governed by rules.
5. Retaliation Without Closure — Another ambush leads to injury and a justification of fighting as a source of clarity. When Yari hears that his brother has been beaten, the group prepares for possible retaliation, but the conflict r...