CHAPITEAU-SHOW

A circus tent in a seaside resort on the Black Sea is where four stories converge. A girl brings her online friend, who otherwise never leaves his flat, into reality and to the sea. A former actor tries to reconcile with his estranged son. An ambitious film producer pursues his project, and a group of scouts clashes with other holidaymakers. The four parts are called Love, Friendship, Respect and Cooperation – and each of these virtues fails comically against the people who demand it. “Chapiteau-Show” by Sergey Loban, Russia 2011, runs 207 minutes and is shown in two parts.

Loban, who comes from the Moscow underground scene and won the Russian critics’ prize in 2005 with the science-fiction film “Dust”, favours cheerful despair, surrealist touches and brief musical numbers – a tone that sets itself clearly apart from mainstream Russian arthouse cinema. The film received the jury’s special prize at the 2011 Moscow International Film Festival; its international premiere took place in Rotterdam in 2012. The film was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2012.

Shown at the 2012 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2012 · Film Archive