Taksi-blyuz

Pyotr Mamonov is one of the brightest representatives of Soviet new wave music scene. He is both rock musician, poet,performer and well-known actor. Here he plays a sax player, who is leading a life of alcochol addict and looser, who is begging for money playing drunk in the streets of Moscow. Ivan is an opposite character- He is hard-working taxi driver, who pays respect to laws and social rules. When he meats Selivestrov (Mamonov) he dislikes him a lot. Selivestrov is spending all money on vodka and tries to cheat a taxi driver, escaping to pay for taxist's work. But Ivvan finds a looser sax player and tries to teach him be honest, hard-working and successful in life. It is very hard for Selivyostrov to start new life, but he manages to do it in the end and becomes world famous star. Great score by legendary free jazz Vladimir Chekasin, perfect acting, best views on Perestroika times and a lot of good humor one can see here Highly recommended for those who are exploring Russian underground music scene of 80s.

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"Taxi Blues" is a raw and gritty film that really captures the struggles of everyday life in a big city in 90's Russia. The story revolves around a gritty conservative taxi driver and a struggling musician with more "modern" values, showcasing their unlikely friendship amidst personal hardships. The gritty cinematography and the realistic dialogue hit home, making you feel the weight of their challenges. The performances are honest and powerful, especially the chemistry between the two leads. It's not just a story about unlikely friendships. It dives deep into themes of hope, dreams, and the realities of that era in Russian history.

It's a very good character-driven narrative that blends humor with melancholy and very deep characters. It felt very Dostoevsky-esque, despite being set in a completely different time period.

Pavel Lungin's film Taxi Blues explores many different aspects of contemporary Russian life. Set against the cultural malting pot of Moscow, the story unfolds as two men compare and contrast their lots in life, each admiring what the other has and wishing they could have it as well.

The film begins with a taxi driver, driven by the hardships in life and accustomed to the dark side of life in Moscow. He picks up a group of musicians after a night out on the town, and after the last one has been dropped off, he is stiffed on the bill. Enraged, the taxi driver stalks the last musician out of the taxi, corners him, and steals his saxophone. In return, the musician is thus forced to perform manual labor for the taxi fare, and to get his saxophone back! The conflict in the film is evident through the two characters involved here. The taxi driver is a dark, strong-willed character, and the musician is a thin and weak soul. They see each other as complete opposite, almost as enemies. But, they somehow manage to find a friendship through their encounter. Gradually, each becomes dependant upon the other, and this is essentially the film's theme. What Lungin is attempting to convey here is that sometimes the bleakest situations in our lives can provide our best opportunities for self-improvement. Both characters are lost, but in different capacities. They are alone, frustrated, and tired, but both experience these things on different levels; the working class level, and the creative/artistic level. Through their experiences together, both men help one another to achieve something greater for themselves, and their friendship is a testament to that.

The past collides with the present in this unflinching portrait of life behind the late Iron Curtain, showing the often antagonistic relationship between a half-mad, free-spirited saxophone player and his older, old-fashioned alter ego, a hack who has seen too many changes through the window of his Moscow cab. Alexei's exuberant, non-conformist energy is the catalyst for the drama but this is clearly Ivan's film, and the story matches his often irrational mood changes while staying remarkably true to its characters, presenting both archetypes in three not altogether appealing dimensions (Ivan is a traditional anti-Semite; Alexei is an irresponsible deadbeat). The film conveys with almost naked candor the seamier side of the new Moscow subculture, adding a somewhat veiled accusation of moral corruption and decadence in the social reforms of Perestroika. The imagery is often arresting, but if the film is critical of Western influence it isn't entirely immune to them, and it's disconcerting to see the story end in a routine car chase slapped together from what look like outtakes from a William Friedkin movie.

This film is more deeper thats you can imagine. This film is about 2 Russian souls, two tragical souls in the 1980xx( at the end of soviet union). This men are the parallel to the soviet - both are tragical, needs new oxygen, new energy to survive!

I think that only Russians can understand that cinema, its very hard to see this film, if you are not living in Russia. Unreal playing by actors, amazing Vladimir Cherkasin soundtracks

If you like this film, you can see all the films with Petr Mamonov or films by Pavel Lungin.

I think that this film is more than 10/10