(Ya tozhe khochu)
Directed by by Aleksei Balabanov
83 minutes
In Russian with English subtitles

This was the last completed work by the eccentric Russian filmmaker Aleksei Balabanov, and it might be seen as an ironic response to Andrei Tarkovsky's legendary film Stalker. Mostly set in a wasteland with an eerie Chernobyl-like mood, the film centers on a group of outsiders who can be seen as archetypes of modern day Russia. Although the setting is somewhat mystical, the main characters are down to earth types, and drink loads of vodka to aid them in their spiritual journey. This motley gang is composed of a bandit, a woman that has given up philosophy for sex-work, an aging punk rocker, a racist soldier and his father. They all wander through a snowy landscape saturated with radiation, scattered with forgotten dead bodies. Along this desolate path they are searching for a mythical "bell tower of happiness." The director argues the film is not sci-fi, but “fantastic realism." It seems to be an allegory for the modern world, especially the fate of post-soviet Russia.

This is sort of a road movie, but a melancholic one... it is about the end of the world and encroaching death. But it is also a black comedy. It toys with the idea that humans are just retarded descendants of aliens, that came here long ago, who have ended up pretty much strangers on their own planet. Although this perilous journey is clearly spiritual, it is spiritual in a very Russian, absurdist sense. Here it isn't sacramental wine that connects us to the spiritual, but bouts of vodka... suggesting philosophy is not simply graced upon us—we have to beat it out of our own senseless existence. This flick was director Aleksei Balabanov's swan song, since he was dying while he made it and knew he wouldn't make another. Therefore it can be seen as his final thoughts on life and death, and he has a small poignant cameo towards the climax. Balabanov's movies always have lively musical soundtracks, and this one is supplied by St. Petersburg's art-rocker Leonid Fedorov. 

This will be a high-definition screening.