Courier

November. 11,1986      
Rating:
7.8
Trailer Synopsis Cast

Ivan Mirosnikov, a cheeky young man in the Gorbachev era, is trying to figure out what to do with his life (he's not in college, and the 2-year mandatory military service is looming large ahead of him). Meanwhile, he lives with his divorced mother, and works as a courier at a Russian newspaper. Through his job, he meets patronizing Professor Kuznetzov and his rebellious daughter Katya. To annoy the professor, Ivan claims to have an affair with Katya. To his surprise, Katya backs his story up.

Fyodor Dunayevsky as  Ivan
Anastasiya Nemolyaeva as  Katya
Oleg Basilashvili as  Katya's father
Inna Churikova as  Ivan's mother
Aleksandr Pankratov-Chyornyy as  Ivan's chief
Vladimir Menshov as  Guest on Katya's birthday
Svetlana Kryuchkova as  Zinaida Pavlovna
Alika Smekhova as  Nina
Sergey Chonishvili as  Ilya
Nikolai Karnaukhov as  staff department

Reviews

Hellen
1986/11/11

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Moustroll
1986/11/12

Good movie but grossly overrated

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AshUnow
1986/11/13

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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Billy Ollie
1986/11/14

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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FilmCriticLalitRao
1986/11/15

It is true that Russian film "Courier" is more than 25 years old but its emotional as well as intellectual impact continues to be astounding. Each time a viewer sees it, one is reminded of the struggles for freedom which people of the past had to undergo. It is somewhat autobiographical in nature as it depicts some events which took place in Mr.Karen Shakhnazarov's life. It was directed by him in 1987 but depicts what happened to him as a youngster two decades ago in 1967. Much of the film is based on the point of view of a non conformist, upper middle class youth whose views indirectly influence his girl friend too. We also get a chance to see a huge chasm in the form of generation gap. Karen Shakhnazarov maintains the balance as he gives an honest perspective of the difficulties faced by parents while raising their children.Courier has its share of comic scenes too but not they cannot be classified as slapstick comedy scenes. The best example of this film's artistic mischievousness is reflected in a scene wherein the film's protagonist, claiming some lines by the great Russian poet Pushkin as his own, confidently reads them to impress an influential person. It was in 1987 that film critic Lalit Rao watched "Courier" for the first time on India's national television network "Doordarshan".This film was part of a series of award winning foreign films which were shown rather late in night. A whole generation of cinéphiles in India were formed by watching such world cinema classics.

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kril10
1986/11/16

The Messenger Boy brought the "gritty reality" of the time approaching the end of the Soviet Union to the screen in a much more enjoyable way than other Chernukhas like Little Vera. Although the main character Ivan represents the rebellion and insolence that was associated with the young generation of the time without any restraint, there was an underlying positive quality, almost a purity, in him that singled him out as an authentic, "good" person of the time.A great way to describe this masked purity would be to compare Ivan with Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Both characters share a certain "unlikeability" among their elders and the older generation of the society of which they are part, but their frankness is seen as a positive directional icon to their own generation. Each dropped out of school and flops around society with either a poor job or none at all, but is nevertheless seen as a lost child in a dirty world, and hence pitied for their genuineness. Katia enjoyed Ivan's tactless mannerisms much like Holden's friends (however few) enjoyed his general apathy--they felt a bond with each representation of the "lost generation."The movie truly made one feel for Ivan's plight--it's not that he did not care, it is simply that the society of which he was part was falling apart, so their expectations on his behavior did not do much. It is precisely this truth, this authenticity, that made Ivan, and the entire movie, so enjoyable to watch. Finally, props to Oleg Basilashvili, the actor who played Katia's father, to be able to switch roles so effectively from The Autumn Marathon as Bouzikin to The Messenger Boy-- it almost seemed like nothing had changed, it is just that time has passed between the two, which further adds to the truth value of this particular film.

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juan_palmero2010
1986/11/17

Early Perestroika years in Moscow. The Communist regime has brought about relative wealth and comfort, but also growing differences between the haves and the have nots. Belonging to the middle-upper class means working hard and conforming. Ivan Miroshnik is a teenager pampered by his mum who has just divorced. He plans neither to work hard nor to conform. After uncaringly failing his university entrance exams, he does not know what to do with himself, but mum finds him a job as a messenger boy in a small editing house. On his first day at work Ivan is sent to take a parcel to professor Kuznetsov, who belongs to the successful upper class. On arrival, he meets Katya, the professor's daughter, and quickly and effectively sets out to charm her with his cheek and impudence. Katya has led a protected life and quickly takes to Ivan's "originality", while Ivan goes with the flow. As to professor Kuznetsov, he decides that Ivan is just a supplied, rude and nihilist young man.Ivan and Katya meet, alone or with their usual group of friends, and class differences soon become painfully obvious. Ivan's constant dubious practical jokes, probably the only means he has to try and please, start to lead to very unpleasant situations.This film is about the wavering of youth, sexual attraction among people with different backgrounds, about clashes between generations, the end of the Soviet Union and the rejection of its values by younger people. Very interesting and honest analysis of Katya's psyche, achieved with just a few brush strokes.This film got several prizes when it was released, and has aged well, since it contains sufficient reflections on universal issues (clothes and hairstyles aside, perhaps). Good musical score by E. Artemev.

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LE020
1986/11/18

I first saw "Kuryer" when I was 8. All I remember is the change of moods that it inspired in me--from tears of laughter to gloomy sadness. Were I born 6-7 years earlier, I might have very well experienced the dillemmas that confronted the young hero of this film...

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