KHRUSTALYOV, MY CAR! Screening at FOMO Cinema Tbilisi

Aleksei German | 1998 | Russia/France | 2h27m with 10min intermission | Presented in the original Russian audio with English subtitles

Aleksei German’s KHRUSTALYOV, MY CAR! is one of the most overwhelming films to come out of post Soviet cinema. Set during the final days of Stalin’s rule in 1953, it follows a military doctor as the state closes in around him in a blur of suspicion, panic, drunkenness, violence and surreal official ritual. German does not present history as clean narrative. He throws you into it. The frame is packed, the sound never settles, and every scene feels like a country losing its mind in public. The film premiered in competition at Cannes in 1998, where it divided viewers badly, yet it has since come to be seen as one of Aleksei German’s major works. Martin Scorsese, who headed that year’s jury, reportedly considered it the best film in the festival. This is a punishing, visionary, blackly funny film about Stalinism as nightmare theatre.

WHY I'VE CHOSEN IT FOR THIS WEEK'S FILM PROGRAM: There are very few films that capture the psychic violence of late Stalinism with this much force. KHRUSTALYOV, MY CAR! does not simplify history or turn terror into tasteful prestige drama. It is dense, ugly, chaotic and completely alive. It belongs here because this week includes films about power, control and the systems that deform everyday life, and almost no film pushes that theme further. It is also an essential title for anyone interested in Aleksei German, whose cinema remains one of the most singular bodies of work in Russian film history

LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.

HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to the first floor. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us:
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17933106294029235/