Czech Film Center

Synopsis

A feature-length documentary film by Martin Ryšavý about the city of Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. The provincial center is introduced primarily as an architectonic rarity; actually a huge panel housing estate in the middle of the taiga. At the first glimpse, it seems a rather gloomy means of storage of human beings; however, at closer inspection it is a lively and rapidly developing city where super modern buildings made of glass and reinforced concrete mix with panel constructions from the Breznev era and decrepit wooden huts, creating bizarre combinations, labeled “architectonic jazz” by one of the film protagonists, scenographer of Sakha Theater (a local theater ensemble) Michail Yegorov. The quintessence of the local discordant architectonic style is represented by Malupien, a peculiar castle made out of scrap iron, pipes, bars, planks and various iron parts found at scrap heaps. Old geologist Vitali Michnin built it instead of a cottage on his plot in a cottage colony behind the city to express his faith in the magic substance of human existence as well as his relationship to his place of residence. The motives behind the construction euphoria of Malupien’s architect is counterpointed by the motives taken over from Chekhov’s play Three Sisters, to be produced at Sakha Theater at that time.