Ya tozhe khochu (2012)

Sanja the Bandit after a particularly vicious shootout, stumbles into the musician Oleg at the local banya. Following a retelling of a semi-mythological story, the pair decide to make a pilgrimage to a "bell-tower of happiness".

Director:

Aleksey Balabanov

Writer:

Aleksey Balabanov

Stars:

Aleksandr Mosin, Oleg Garkusha, Yuriy Matveev

4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aleksandr Mosin	...	Sanya aka Bandit
Oleg Garkusha	...	Oleg
Yuriy Matveev	...	Yura
Alisa Shitikova	...	Alisa
Aleksey Balabanov	...	Director
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Viktor Gorbunov	...	Old man
Vyacheslav Ivanov	...	Bit part
Sergey Sholohov	...	Presenter
Dunya Smirnova	...	Presenter

Storyline

A huge black SUV is rolling down a desolate summer road. In it are the Bandit, his friend Matthew with his old father, the Musician, and a beautiful girl. They are looking for the Bell Tower of Happiness which, according to rumors, is located somewhere between St. Petersburg and Uglich, near an abandoned nuclear power plant. The Bell Tower takes people away; not everyone, however. But each person in the huge black vehicle believes that he will be one of the chosen.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

13 December 2012 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Me Too

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTB Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Vdud (2017)

User Reviews

A personal film about mankind's search for happiness

This film (best translated as "Me Too") was Balabanov's farewell to the world - he knew he hadn't long to live, and as such it has deeply spiritual and introspective elements to it (the director himself makes an effective cameo).

The subject bears some similarity to Tarkovsky's Stalker (the idea of people entering a walled off zone in search for a one stop solution to their life problems), including its focus on spiritual questions, but keeping the dialog more natural and accessible as opposed to delving deep into philosophical discussions as in Stalker. Like Tarkovsky it also features long takes - though Balabanov maintains his traditional Scorecese like preference for popular music leading the soundtrack, a more upbeat rhythm to the shots, and affinity for montage.

The film features mostly non-professional actors, all of whom are directed to perfection. The story is easy to follow, the characters have color and authenticity. I would have preferred a little more economy with some sequences, it seems Balabanov slowed his pace a bit compared to his earlier films, but being that this is a film of spiritual contemplation that is not a bad direction to err in. At the same time, Balabanov keeps his sense of humor and that makes the story more fun to absorb. This is definitely a fitting end to a career of a lively director who's body of work is not as known in the west as it should be, and a great invitation to contemplate, in a non-pretentious manner, the question of what 'happiness' is.