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A bankrupt farmer storms Moscow with a coffin. Bureaucratic chaos ensues.
TMDB
62

Why Wouldn't We Send... a Messenger? (1998)

absurdist satirepost-Soviet chaosdarkly comic

Overview

ComedyAdventureDrama

A farmer who has been bankrupted by bankers goes to Moscow in search for the truth.

Flag of RURURussian
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Evdokimov's weary everyman carries the absurdity with soul.

Writing

Gogol-esque bureaucratic nightmare updated for Yeltsin-era Russia.

Best for:Solo: Late night when you hate capitalism but need to laugh.·Streaming: Obscure gem for post-Soviet cinema completionists.
Heads up:Emotional: Poverty and humiliation are played for pathos, not laughs.
V

Director

Valeri Chikov

ReleasedJul 6, 1998
Runtime1h 39m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelmedium
Teatr Mikhaila Evdokimova

Top Cast

Mikhail Evdokimov

Mikhail Evdokimov

Ivan

Lev Durov

Lev Durov

Yakov

Ivan Bortnik

Ivan Bortnik

brother-in-law

Igor Yasulovich

Igor Yasulovich

mad man

Nikolay Trofimov

Nikolay Trofimov

old man with a coffin

Irina Rozanova

Irina Rozanova

Lyubov Sokolova

Lyubov Sokolova

Leonid Yakubovich

Leonid Yakubovich

cameo

Raisa Ryazanova

Raisa Ryazanova

Pyotr Merkuryev

Pyotr Merkuryev

Olga Budina

Olga Budina

prostitute

Georgiy Grechko

Georgiy Grechko

Yuri Duvanov

Yuri Duvanov

Aleksandr Kazakov

Aleksandr Kazakov

Sergey Rubeko

Sergey Rubeko

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Released during Russia's 1998 financial crisis, the film's bankrupted farmer became accidentally topical. Audiences reportedly laughed with desperate recognition.

Trivia

The title references a classic Soviet joke: why send a messenger when you can send the victim himself? Chikov insisted on the elliptical title against studio wishes.

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