The Man Who Surprised Everyone () is a Russian film-drama directed by Aleksey Chupov and Natasha Merkulova, shot according to their own script in 2018. Member for the Horizons (Orizzonti) section (Best Actress Award) of the

75th Venice International Film Festival The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018, at Venice Lido in Italy. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was the jury president for the main competition. Italian actor Michele Riondino hosted the o ...

. It was selected as the Russia entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

at the

76th Golden Globe Awards The 76th ceremony of the Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and American television of 2018, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Produced by Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA, the ceremony was broadcast live ...

Plot

Siberian huntsman Yegor is an exemplary family man and a man respected in his village. He and his wife Natalya are waiting for their second child. Suddenly, Yegor learns that he is incurably sick, and that he has only two months left to live. Neither traditional medicine nor shamanic sorcery help the fight against the disease, and in the end Yegor decides to take a desperate step by trying to completely change his personality in order to deceive approaching death, as did the legendary drake Zhamba, the hero of the ancient Siberian epos.

Cast

Yevgeny Tsyganov Yevgeny Eduardovich Tsyganov (; born 15 March 1979) is a Russian stage and film actor, director, screenwriter and composer. Early life Yevgeny Tsyganov was born in Moscow in the family of employees of the Moscow Research Institute. Yevgeny gra ...

as Yegor Korshunov * Natalya Kudryashova as Natalya, Yegor's wife * Yury Kuznetsov as grandfather Nikolay *

Pavel Maykov Pavel Sergeevich Maykov (; born October 15, 1975, in Mytishchi) is a Russian theater, film and voice actor, TV presenter, singer and musician. Maykov is best known for starring as Viktor Pchyolkin in the TV series ''Brigada'' and in the title role ...

as Zakhar * Maxim Vitorgan as Professor *

Igor Savochkin Igor Yurievich Savochkin (; 14 May 1963 – 17 November 2021) was a Russian theater and film actor, best known for his roles in Russian action and thriller films. Savochkin's acting career has spanned across more than 30 films over the course of ...

as Fyodor * Polina Raikina as Marina * Vasily Popov as Artyom *

Amadu Mamadakov Amadu is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *John Amadu Bangura (1920–1970), the acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone from 18 April to 22 April 1968 * Alfred Amadu Conteh (born 1975), African American sculptor, painter and mix ...

as Doctor

Reception

Critical response

* Deborah Young in

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

: While Kudryashova brings a wide range of emotions to flesh out the character of the wife, Tsyganov is quietly magnificent in the main role. Both go far beyond fairy tale stereotypes, even while their acting follows timeworn paths that seem inexorable. The tech work is sheer simplicity, following the spirit of Egor's quest in the most naturalistic way possible, without trying to prettify the mud-washed village and weather-beaten shacks. Vadim Krasnitsky's editing keeps the story-telling smooth and fluid. *

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) (1904–1983), English ballet dancer and choreographer * Anton Dolin (film critic) Anton Vladimirovich Dolin (; ) is a Russian film critic, journalist, radio host, blogger and podcaster. ...

Meduza ''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...

: This motion picture is finely balanced, its seemingly outrageous frame is held due to a deep study and understanding by the creators of the film of the mechanics of the female and male archetype in the Russian consciousness.«Человек, который удивил всех»: фильм о том, как обмануть смерть От авторов «Интимных мест» с Евгением Цыгановым в главной роли
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Who Surprised Everyone, The Russian drama films 2018 drama films 2018 films Transgender-related films Films directed by Natalya Merkulova 2010s Russian films 2010s Russian-language films Russian-language drama films