Somewhere deep, deep in Russia there is a town called Marks (named after Karl Marks, founder of Communism theory) where all people are working on toy factory and receiving their wages as toys. News from other cities are arriving on very rare occasion. One morning, Boris, a former boxing who is running from something, wakes up in train and see four letters MAR_S. From his first steps he starts to meet new people as Gregori, young man with a dream who is in love with local librarian, Greta, whose dream is to get out from this god-forgotten town. With each new step, he is meeting new people, but the past is hard to escape
Direction
Melikyan's controlled chaos turns a factory town into pure visual poetry.
Production
Toy-as-currency worldbuilding that never stops being weirdly logical.
Cinematography
Bleach-bypassed Russian winter that somehow feels cozy and suffocating.
Director
Anna Melikyan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in 2004 but feels eternally 1986—Melikyan deliberately avoided period markers to create a Soviet time-loop.
The toy factory was a real abandoned facility; extras were actual former workers who showed Melikyan how to 'pay' in toys.
RU
