Igor Kuznetsov

A feature film based on the novella by Yuri Koval, recounting a whimsical and humorous journey aboard a homemade boat through the Vologda region. The picture consists of two parallel storylines. The first follows the adventures of the novella’s protagonist, whose absurd escapade unexpectedly transforms into a mystical experience amidst the rivers, marshes, and villages of the countryside. The second centers on a theatrical production based on Koval’s book — staged by a group of students — which reveals the backstory: how the book’s hero came to yearn to break free from Moscow and retreat far away from everyone — including his friends — deep into the heart of nature.

In a nostalgic Moscow of 1976, an unlucky actor meets a charismatic writer, a living classic of Soviet literature, who turns his life into a tragicomic farce with the artistic bohemia, foreign-currency prostitutes, the KGB staff and agents of the CIA.

The outside world with its microbes and viruses is deadly for the boy Gosha. That's why he never left the hospital until the disappearance of Oni's only friend made him forget about the danger. The boy goes on an amazing journey through New Year's Moscow, and Valera, a wayward courier, helps him in this, in many ways an even bigger child than Gosha himself. Together they face a path that will forever change not only their lives, but also make Moscow a little kinder.

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