Generation P

After the break-up of the USSR Moscow opens its doors to foreign investors: finding a career is primarily a question of making clever use of an opportunity. Babylen Tatarsky starts out as a tobacconist, but an encounter with a former classmate leads him to the world of advertising. Pepsi Cola, Sprite, Parliament cigarettes – such products need to reach the consumer fast. Babylen turns out to be good at his job, and he gradually finds his way into the kind of PR which serves to promote not only goods, but people in social roles as well. In addition to the gloss of success, however, he is also driven by his passion for Near Eastern mythology, an experience heightened through use of hallucinogenic substances. This open-handed adaptation of Victor Pelevin’s cult postmodern novel caused a major stir after its screening in Russian cinemas. One reviewer declared: “This film successfully blows your mind.” –KVIFF