A flutist in the forgotten past, at present the husband of a “big man’s” daughter and head of one of the Chief Directorate’s sections felt unwell one day: the forty-year-old man had a pain in his heart. This unpleasant incident provided an opportunity to meet a nurse named Lida. However, their stormy love affair ended, with Filimonov returning to normal life and an unloved wife.
Direction
Ryazanov's signature blend of satire and genuine heartbreak.
Acting
Filatov's exquisite portrayal of a man drowning in his own choices.
Cinematography
Dreamlike flashbacks contrasted with drab Soviet present.
Director
Eldar Ryazanov
Leonid Filatov
Leonid Semyonovich Filimonov
Tatyana Dogileva
Lida
Irina Kupchenko
Elena Fedorovna
Vsevolod Sanayev
Yaroslav Stepanovich
Olga Volkova
Evgenia Danilovna Surova
Sergei Artsybashev
Aleksey Yakimovich
Aleksandr Shirvindt
Myasoyedov
Valentin Gaft
Odinkov
Elena Mayorova
Luysya
Vatslav Dvorzhetsky
Semyon Filimonov
Yelena Fadeyeva
Leonid's mother
Aleksandr Pankratov-Chyornyy
Sasha
Pyotr Merkuryev
choir director from Tambov
Yevgeni Voskresensky
Kirill
Nina Agapova
Tatyana Georgievna
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ryazanov made this during perestroika, when Soviet artists finally could critique the system openly—yet the tragedy feels timeless, not political.
The title references a real forgotten tune that haunts Filimonov; Ryazanov wanted audiences to feel what it's like to mourn something you can't quite name.
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