IVANY, POMNYASHCHIE RODSTVO

Firstly Ivan listens to a fisherman who lost his hearing aid at work and now needs a new one. The passionate lottery player hopes for a win. Things get more interesting however when he meets a singer. Later he hears the story of a half-Russian from Cuba who is in Russia for the first time. In the provinces he wants to better understand the Russian soul and also apply for an American visa. After initial difficulties he manages to make friends, saying goodbye even proves difficult. Sonya, on the other hand, grew up alone with her mother and is now looking for her father, who was a well-known author children's books. Through her dissertation thesis she finds an excuse to meet her unknown father. Through five tales Ivan Sosnin succeeds in exemplarily capturing and conveying the Russian mentality and soul, as well as the universal values that arise in the process. In an entertaining fashion the viewer is introduced to the Russian culture of travel, an approach which values more than simply arriving as quickly as possible. MM