Gleb PanfilovCast
Mikhail Ulyanov 
Inna Churikova Evgeny Evstigneev
Credits
Written by: Aleksandr Baldenkov
Plot
Kim Yesenin, a successful but hollow playwright, goes to a village to find inspiration for a play. There he meets Sasha, a local guide, with whom he begins a relationship. Their conversations about art, truth and the compromises of the Soviet cultural establishment reveal his emptiness. Gleb Panfilov's 1979 film was shelved for years by censors and then won the Golden Bear in Berlin.
Sinekatalog’s take
Gleb Panfilov's satire follows a hollow, successful Soviet playwright who retreats to a village for inspiration and meets a sharp local guide. Mikhail Ulyanov and Inna Churikova are superb in a witty, bitter study of artistic compromise, shelved for years.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 7.2 / 10 (698 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.
If you liked this
Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.
- Slave of Love 1976 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.3 · Same movement
- Camera Buff 1979 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.8 · Same movement
- Dark Eyes 1987 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.3 · Same movement
- Julia 1977 · Fred Zinnemann · IMDb 7.0 · Viewers also liked
- Do You Remember Dolly Bell? 1981 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 7.5 · Same movement
- Brief Encounters 1967 · Kira Muratova · IMDb 7.1 · Same movement