Leto (2018)

A love triangle emerges around a rock and roll musician, his protege and his wife in 1980s Russia.

Director:

Kirill Serebrennikov

Writers:

Lily Idov (as Lili Idova), Michael Idov

Stars:

Roman Bilyk, Irina Starshenbaum, Teo Yoo

12 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roman Bilyk	...	Mike (as Roma Zver)
Irina Starshenbaum	...	Natasha
Teo Yoo	...	Viktor
Filipp Avdeev	...	Lenya
Evgeniy Serzin	...	Oleg
Aleksandr Gorchilin	...	Punk
Vasiliy Mikhaylov	...	Isha
Aleksandr Kuznetsov	...	Skeptic
Nikita Efremov	...	Bob
German Osipov	...	Guitarist
Dmitry Zhuk	...	Bassist
Valentin Tarasov	...	Drummer
Semyon Serzin	...	Mikhailov
Irina Tepliukhova	...	Ira
Marina Manych	...	Marina

Storyline

A love triangle emerges around a rock and roll musician, his protege and his wife in 1980s Russia.

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Plot Keywords:

leningrad | musician | love triangle | rock music | concert | 

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Genres:

Biography | History | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 149157.

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Crazy Credits

The title card before the end credits roll is Russian for "This film is dedicated to those we love"

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Connections

Referenced in White Studio: Alexander Kuznetsov (2019)

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Soundtracks

Kogda-to ty byl bitnikom
Written by Viktor Tsoy
Performed by Petr Pogodaev, K. A. Avdeev, Roman Bilyk and German Osipov (guitars)

User Reviews

In honnour of the ideal of rock

Leto is to me the best film of 2018 as its direction is so original, unique and magnificient. The story is rather simple. A confirmed rock star of the early eighties (Mayk) struggles to promote rock music in the declining Sovietic Union when another musician (Viktor Tsoi) arises as a new promising talent. His wife, Natalia can't help to be attracted to this new talent...and so does he. This film almost has it all. It features fantastic actors, an interesting story (who would not like to know what was being a rock star in the Soviet Union in the 80's ?), a great soundtrack, and some developments in the film you do not expect. I would definitely take on the direction of this film as its main feature, as Serebrennikov films so well, invents moments of magic, and has so much inventions that you can feel the soul of rock. Quite early in the film, you understand the movie is not just all about following the emergence of Viktor Tsoi the Kurt Cobain of Russia (or the Jim Morisson of Russia back in those days), but also about giving pride of place to the ideal of rock. Serebrennikov pays tribute to what rock and roll meant for his generation, what it inspired and what it felt to listen to this music in this oppressive atmosphere of Russia in the 80's. I believe that many many directors tried this before him, but Serebrennikov may be the only one to have succeeded in this initiative of linking music to political protest. The long take at the beach and several musica clips are simply fantastic ! For this and for his fantastic direction, the film has already become a must-see film to me.

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] Gunpowder & Sky [United States]

Country:

Russia France

Language:

Russian English

Release Date:

7 June 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Leto

Filming Locations:

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,072,533

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hype Film, KinoVista, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1