We Are Men

Based on the play of the same name by A. Arbuzov, staged by the Mayakovsky Moscow Academic Theatre. A touching and eccentric circus cashier constantly disrupts the sanatorium's orderly routine. The head doctor is tired of warning her, but gradually he discovers that he feels something other than irritation toward the unruly patient. Thus begins the story of the relationship between two lonely, middle-aged people...

The art of theater is a complex craft. In 19 minutes, you can’t convey everything that is taught over five years. Our film is only a short walk through the Lunacharsky State Institute of Theatre Arts, a cinematic panorama of three directing classes. The classes of M. O. Knebel, A. A. Goncharov, and A. V. Efros.

The path to a new role for an actor is always a living dialogue with it, full of secrets and mysteries. At this stage, it is important for the actor to feel the primacy of life and the points of connection between the play and real life. For the audience, it's not only interesting to be present at the performance but also to learn about the journey their favorite actor took to this role. Renowned actresses Natalia Gundareva and Marina Neyelova will share their moments of happiness in their work.

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

About the tragic days of the Chilean revolution, its unconquered fighters and those who, believing in abstract good, unwittingly served the goals of fascism.

A merry prankster and jester, Colas Breugnon loves life and knows how to enjoy it. Even when fate throws him a sour face, he finds a joke to lift his spirits.

Aspiring photographer is courting a relative of a man who holds a high official position for careerist reasons. In the name of that, he breaks up with his bride, but his plans weren't destined to come true.

The characters of the play do not know that tomorrow there will be a war, that many people have only a few days left to live. They enthusiastically fight with the teacher, fall in love, cry and laugh, have fun, fight, mischief and impudence, but they seem to be just children, although - the paradox of that time! - their souls mature and develop much faster than their bodies. And when their friend's father is arrested by slander or mistake, they are ready for the first trials, for the initial lessons of injustice and grief, mutual assistance and mutual understanding. The tragedy that happened in the classroom was a kind of test of readiness for tomorrow's sacrifices and tomorrow's exploits.