Garagenvolk (2020)

Garage People is an episodic film whose mosaic-like structure presents a picture of contemporary Russia, creating a visual sociology. In witty, eccentric, unpredictable scenes, the film tells tragic yet cheerful stories about the private lives of Russian men who escape the mafia-like structures and the state’s urge to regulate everything by carving out their own niches, and who turn instead to individualism and consumerism. The protagonists share their joys and worries, offering a glimpse into their representative, hidden everyday realities. The film shows the many garages in the inhospitable north of post-Soviet Russia, which serve as secret refuges for Russian men. From the outside, the corrugated-metal sheds look uninviting, but their interiors have been transformed, beyond all rules and according to their owners’ own tastes and ingenuity, into alternative living spaces, because here the corrupt or regulatory government has no power. Ilya, a scrap collector, uses his garage as a workshop; Roman for his quail farm; Pavel carves skillfully made figures of saints; and Viktor has added four underground floors to his over the course of decades of work. Here, people distill liquor, run illegal fish shops, store consumer goods, and retreat here with a loved one. There is everything here, and everything seems possible. In this harsh region beyond the Arctic Circle, where a mining company is the only employer, the garage remains the last chance for self-fulfillment. The space becomes a refuge, an alternative world to a daily life without prospects, a place of longing and a dream world. For some, these alternative worlds are the basis of their livelihood; for others, they serve as a place to unwind.