A bankrupt farmer storms Moscow with a coffin. Bureaucratic chaos ensues.
A farmer who has been bankrupted by bankers goes to Moscow in search for the truth.
Acting
Evdokimov's weary everyman carries the absurdity with soul.
Writing
Gogol-esque bureaucratic nightmare updated for Yeltsin-era Russia.
Director
Valeri Chikov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Russia's 1998 financial crisis, the film's bankrupted farmer became accidentally topical. Audiences reportedly laughed with desperate recognition.
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.
RU
