apr11: autumn marathon

The main character in Autumn Marathon, Buzykin, is a kind, gentle person, helping others without a concern for himself, rejecting no one. However, making choices is always a problem, and while he has the best of intentions, his decisions are now coming home to roost unless he can change the course of events already set in motion. - Amazon.com

This Soviet cult-classic, appropriately set in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), will delight movie-lovers. Autumn Marathon is a nuanced exploration of humanity within a very particular social context. Probably the most surprising thing about this film is that the Soviet authorities actually allowed its release at the close of the anti-historical "stagnation" decade of the 1970s. Sergei Dovlatov, a remarkable Russian writer, who crossed the Atlantic, became famous, and died (in this order) in New York City, entitled a collection of his stories about life in the Soviet Union "Compromise." This could have been the title of this film. The film focuses on what you might call a low-intensity mid-life crisis of a mild-mannered 45-year old English professor Buzykin. Buzykin, a true Russian "intelligent," is trapped in a conundrum of personal and social obligations that he cannot meet. His life becomes a vicious circle of debilitating compromises, betrayals and broken promises. He is trying to be all things at once: a responsible husband to his wife of many years and a tender lover to his young mistress, an altruistic helper to his untalented and demanding friend and an amicable pal to his unworthy colleagues. Failure is a predictable result of this "life marathon." Throw in a "degree of absurdity" (a decidedly Russian feature, especially when applied to everyday situations) and you have a tender and honest film about the drudgery and strangeness of life where the most obvious choices are the most difficult to make. - Dr. Maxim Matusevich

The story is a quintessentially Russian variation on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," centering on a demure teacher who frightfully tries to juggle a wife and a mistress, yet simply doesn't have the courage to do so with any kind of efficacy. The trouble he gets himself into is endlessly amusing, even as it delivers a strong societal message about personal responsibility. One can also read into the film a certain political commentary about the waning days and conflicted loyalties of the Soviet empire--but it's not essential to appreciating this lovely comedy. - Box Office Online

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