Ivan is old Russia: thick, dour, hard-working, often brutish; he misses Communism. He drives a taxi and one night meets Alexi, a new Russian, a musician, an alcoholic, irresponsible. Alexi stiffs Ivan for the fare, so Ivan tracks him down and a love-hate relationship ensues. When Alexi lets the bath water run over in Ivan's flat and Ivan must pay 500 rubles for repairs, he tries to force Alexi into day labor to repay him. It's hopeless. Then, suddenly, Alexi is discovered, goes on a jazz tour of America, becomes a celebrity, and returns in triumph. Ivan longs to renew the friendship, and it looks as if he may get what he wants.
Stars: Pyotr Mamonov, Pyotr Zaychenko, Natalya Kolyakanova, Elena Safonova, Vladimir Kashpur, Sergey Gazarov
Crew: Pavel Lungin (Director), Pavel Lungin (Writer), Alexandr Golutva (Producer), Valeri Yurkevich (Production Design), Aleksei Shkele (Set Designer), Pierre Rival (Producer)
Country: France, Soviet Union
Language: Pусский
Studio: La Sept Cinéma, ASK Eurofilm, CNC, MK2 Films, Studio Troitskij Most, Lenfilm
Runtime: 110 minutes
Quality: HD
Released: Oct 17, 1990
IMDb: 4.689
Keywords:taxi driver, jazz singer or musician