Directed by Georgiy Daneliya
132 minutes
In Russian with English subtitles
 
When two guys on the streets of Moscow push a mysterious button, they find themselves suddenly transported to the wild sci-fi dystopia of another world - the galaxy of Kin-Dza-Dza. A bizarre post-apocalyptic world of telepathy and multidimensional space, a mix of primitivism and super-advanced technology. Georgian director Georgiy Daneliya's movie is probably the biggest cult film in the history of the Soviet Union - there are so many people who are mad about this flick, and have watched it over and over again. It's a black comedy, but with a philosophical edge, a bit in the direction of Tarkovsky, but with a sense of humor. It's a perfect example of East Bloc absurdism... like Kafka. 

Kin-dza-dza contrasts heavily with Hollywood sci-fi films because it was shot on a small budget and there is absolutely no attempt to create glitzy spectacular wall-to-wall special effects. Here wit, imagination and innovation replace the big-budget extravaganza. It also takes place in real time - in other words, it wasn't put through a high-speed blender. It simply unfolds at its own mesmerizing pace. And like the best sci-fi films this is actually a piece of social commentary about the here and now.

Because it was made during the cold war, it has rarely ever been screened abroad. Americans basically think their cinema is the best in the world, partly because they are addicted to a narrow style of filmmaking—but more importantly it's because they never see anything else! Since this movie wasn't subject to vast advertising campaigns it is virtually unknown in the West. People talk about globalism. Globalization, my ass! If there was globalization we would know about all the cultures around the world—and we know almost nothing... what we see is 97% American or Americanized. Try something different. A wonderful black comedy, but also with a sad and melancholic twist.