Leningrad, November 1971. The city is shrouded in fog. Another anniversary of the revolution is being celebrated, but the country is not making any progress. Sergei has first-hand experience of this stasis. The young writer’s manuscripts are regularly rejected by the official media; his view on things is not desired. Others are experiencing similar problems, including his friend Joseph Brodsky, who is forcefully exiled. Dovlatov is determined to stay and lead a normal life with his wife Lena and daughter Katya. He wants to write about discovering reality: about shipyard workers, or the construction of the metro. Out of a tragicomic rondeau of rebellion and assimilation, pain and fatigue, ensues a portrait of an era of stagnation and its destructive effects.
"Dovlatov is one of the unconditional symbols of the last quarter of the 20th century. He is a superstar of Russian literature. He was larger than life, yet subtle and incredibly talented; it’s a shame that we do not produce such men anymore." (Aleksei German Junior)
Aleksej German, ml.
Born in Moscow in 1976. Between 1996–2001, German studied at the Russian Film School – VGIK, where he shot three short films that gained Russian and international film festival awards. His first feature, The Last Train, received a special mention of the Future Lion jury at the 2003 Venice festival. Under Electric Clouds won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to Cinematography at the 2015 Berlin IFF.