rm-imdb

It is quite possible this will not appeal to Western audience. You cannot explain what it's about. All you have are those vague emotional harmonics, and image is too subtle, too airy and blurry, and has almost no color... I remember a guy working in a game publishing company explaining the differences in national color perception to me - Russia prefers barely saturated colors, while in the US and especially Japan it's all about contrast and max saturation. The same for emotions, and the same for the plot - the stuff which appeals to westerners is always literal and to the point, while for Russians it should always be about hints and fuzzy shadows, as no one knows what he's living for...

However, I would still advise you to try this short cartoon - you might love it...

If you want to have an idea of what it is - well, it's a kind of Soviet HGTTG. However, the cultural basis of HGTTG (all this British towel-and-robe-and-almost-but-not-quite-entirely-unlike-tea stuff) is much easier to understand for an average Western person compared to the Soviet culture of this movie. Also, it's a much darker comedy compared to HGTTG - but I think everyone knows Russians rarely smile...

You expect it to be funny? No, there are too many cultural references, too many hard-to-translate jokes. And the available translations are hardly close to giving you a hint on what this movie is about. Maybe there exists a good translation somewhere, adapted to western world and still retaining the humor, but I haven't seen it yet.

You expect some good sci-fi? No, it's got crappy special effects, no action, and there are huge holes in the plot in everything relating to sci-fi. You will be cursing about stupid and illogical usage of things like "planet", "galaxy" and "instant travel" all the time. There's even less of sci-fi in it than in HGTTG.

However, if you're adventurous, open, if you want to learn something new, and if you like movies not for special effects but for the pieces of soul the directors, the writers and the actors put into them, and for their efforts to make you think - try this movie, it won't fail you.

Also, it is a cult classic in Russia, and millions of Russian fans just cannot be wrong :)

It's best to learn Russian first, of course :)