Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Oleg Basilashvili | ... |
Andrey Pavlovich Buzykin
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Natalya Gundareva | ... |
Nina Yevlampyevna Buzykina
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Marina Neyolova | ... |
Alla Mikhaylovna Yermakova, lyubovnitsa Buzykina
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Evgeniy Leonov | ... |
Vasily Ignatyevich Kharitonov, sosed Buzykina
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Norbert Kuchinke | ... |
Bill Hansen, professor iz Danii
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Nikolay Kryuchkov | ... |
dyadya Kolya, sosed Alli
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Galina Volchek | ... |
Varvara Nikitichna
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Olga Bogdanova | ... |
Yelena, doch Buzykinikh
(as O. Bogdanova)
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Borislav Brondukov | ... |
zashchitnik pri DTP
(as B. Brondukov)
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Vladimir Grammatikov | ... |
Zhenya Ptashuk, drug Alli
(as V. Grammatikov)
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Dmitri Matveyev | ... |
Shershavnikov
(as D. Matveyev)
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Vadim Medvedev | ... |
(as V. Medvedev)
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Nikita Podgorny | ... |
Georgy Nikolayevich Verigin
(as N. Podgorny)
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Vladimir Pozhidayev | ... |
Voditel
(as V. Pozhidayev)
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Lyudmila Ivanova | ... |
(as L. Ivanova)
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Andrey Pavlovich Buzykin, who makes a living by teaching at an institute and translating English literature, is cheating on his wife. Buzykin's main problem is that he's a kind man with a weak character. The lies he is telling his wife all the time are inconvincing, but he never has the courage to tell her the truth. His lover, Alla, is aware of his family life, but gets offended when, for example, he cannot meet her so that he doesn't come home late, or when he doesn't want to go home in a new jacket she gives him to avoid having to explain to his wife. Alla and Nina, Andrei's wife, both leave him, forgive him, and return to him at the same time, and Andrei continues with this kind of life, full of suffering and deceit. Finally, both women are so fed up with his lies that they don't believe him even when he is telling the truth... Written by Denis Chebikin <chebikin@mit.edu>
Niffiwan from Toronto is not right (Interesting to note is that the director was female). The director is male and strong Caucasian macho with mustaches, born in Georgia. By the way Georgi is the name, like George. There is a rumor that heroes of his movies have latency homosexual complex but it is just a joke. But who knows? The film is pure genius. This is the story about soviet intellectual (not an average soviet man from Brezhnev's era), English to Russian interpreter, who read some lectures in some university. He live in a big apartment with many rooms - it is very unusual situation in Soviet Union for family with one child (the hero have one daughter). This is the symbol of privileged position for brain workers in Sovet Union society. But his work is silly and insignificant. He is in trouble with his slinky mistress (genius actress Marina Neelova), smart and understanding wife (also genius Natalya Gundareva, RIP), colleagues and so on. The problems are snowball running and his life is start to decline. This is not a comedy - this is a sad story that may be associated with brothers' Cohen movie "Fargo" or something like that. The quality of actors play is brilliant and absolutely realistic. I strongly recommended another Danelia astonishing film called "Kin-Dza-Dza" (strange adventures of mid-aged soviet foreman and his accidental fellow young Moscow student on another planet, kinda postapocaliptic totalitaristic Mad Max style world - the strong satire on all human civilization)