COMEDY DRAMA | 108 MIN | 2024 | ARMENIA, RUSSIA | DIR: EDGAR BAGHDASARYAN | MA15+ | ARMENIAN & RUSSIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Yasha recently retired after serving many years at a factory, with a highlight in his career being a delegate of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1976. Yet his future is left unknown when he emerges in new realities that he finds difficult to accept. The world has changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, yet he tries to hold on to what once was.

Thus enters former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Appearing like Yasha's alter ego, he guides Yasha, giving amusing commentary and voicing what Yasha should say or do. Brezhnev’s presence gives way for more historical leaders that Yasha idolises to arrive. Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Josip Broz Tito and Erich Honecker, and even the African dictator Jean Bedel-Bokassa all make an appearance!

When Yasha takes an oath of loyalty to them, this creates trouble for his family in a humorous, yet tragic look at how one clings to the past in a world that no longer exists. Baghdasaryan blends absurdist comedy and satirical humor to create a thought-provoking yet entertaining film that won 5 Anahit Awards in 2024.

Winner of 5 awards at the 2024 Anahit Awards including:

• Best Director: Edgar Baghdasaryan
• Best Actor: Mayis Sargsyan
• Best Screenplay: Edgar Baghdasaryan

Content warning: Sexual references, blood and gore