I found this gem by a coincidence and was surprised how good of a movie is this while almost no one knows about it. The setup of the movie is the "dashing/rakish 90th", this is a dark period for the whole post USSR people who saw the order in which they lived collapse and suddenly anyone cared only about money (and money suddenly was available).
This movie mimics these dark times in an amazing way, starting from the darkish colour of the movie (which in times i must admit is too dark, so i don't recommend to watch the movie in a bright area), with the dark 'circus-clown' part and the overall feeling that the movie is leaving you with. The story is interesting but there are many areas that aren't explored in the movie which leaves the intelligent and curios viewer with many thoughts and ability to interpret it their own way. My only problem with the movie is the quality- i mentioned before the darkness which is too much at times (as much of the plot is done at night or in poorly lit areas) and if you're a Russian speaker i'd strongly suggest to watch this movie with subtitles since the characters speech is low at some points.
Overall this is an amazing movie for people who like movies with meaning and not just shooting & love BS. Prepare to dive into a dark world in dark times (if you liked this movie i strongly suggest to watch Limita, another movie from that era, very similar cinematography and a great plot)
