Yuri Druzhinin

Afonya Borshev is a plumber who drinks a lot, flirts a lot and doesn't care too much about tomorrow. His wife left him, his boss placed him on probation, his whole life is falling apart, but he doesn't realize it. When Afonya met Katya at a dance club he didn't pay her much attention, yet she may be the only one who can help him.

This visually evocative drama, directed by the legendary Marlen Khutsiev and completed after his death, is inspired by the real-life encounters between Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy. Through a series of intimate conversations, the two literary giants confront the fundamental questions of existence—life, death, faith, and immortality. In doing so, they reveal profoundly different worldviews, yet ones rooted in a shared cultural tradition and bound by mutual respect. In 2026, the film was finished at the initiative of Marlen Khutsiev’s friends and colleagues.