Leonid Andreyev

After a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in public, a man joins a Parisian circus sideshow as a clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly and becomes infatuated with a showgirl colleague whose father intends to marry her off to the baron.

Based on the short story by Leonid Andreev "Ivan Ivanovich". A Perestroika look at the events that took place after the 1905 Revolution. The young defender of the barricades shows weakness and releases the captured gendarme. After a while, he is not spared in a similar situation.

In 1902 in St. Petersburg, Russia, loner scientist Anton Kerzhentsevi studies primates. He's attracted to Tatyana, his friend Alexis' wife. As Anton slowly goes mad, he starts planning on how to kill his friend and get away with it.

Judas, a seasoned thief, finds himself in the market square where Christ is giving a sermon and his apostles are collecting alms. He follows them and steals their money, only to be caught red-handed. Nevertheless, the Teacher forgives him. What is more, He invites the thief to become one of His followers and offers him a position as the group’s treasurer. Shocked by Christ’s unexpected offer, Judas decides to join the apostles, if only to figure out what is going on. He gradually starts to comprehend Christ’s message, but feels that the apostles are blindly following their teacher. Judas argues with them, and tries to defend his right to divine the truth of God. But when he fails to make them understand, he realizes that Christ’s teachings may sink into oblivion without benefiting humanity. His solution is to betray Christ. “By killing a man, have I not saved a God?”

Carlos goes to visit his girlfriend Juana at the asylum where she works. Once there, the director introduces him to his niece, who is obsessed with playing the harp, and to a nurse who repeats word for word what Carlos says.

The film is based on the story by L. Andreev "The Life of Vasily of Thebes" about the fate of the village priest Vasily, who, after going through a great many misfortunes, renounces God in order to regain his true faith through even greater grief.