Storyline

Awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 41st Venice International Film Festival, this absurdist comedy, with its sprawling cast of crooks, thieves, anarchists, prostitutes, chief inspectors, art dealers, and inventors, calls to mind the bustling tapestries of Robert Altman. The story revolves around two objects, a rare set of 18th-century Limoges china, and a 19th century aristocratic portrait. As these items are passed, sold, or stolen from one character to another, a giddy round dance of excess begins to take shape, one which suggests that if history doesn't repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. Together with co-writer Gérard Brach, whose other co-writing credits include Repulsion and Tess, Otar Iosseliani uses a feather-light touch to expose the futility of class and social order, making a bagatelle of the concerns of rich and poor alike.—Anonymous

Plot Keywords

gunrunner, burglar, beautician, detective, terrorist, teacher, quirky, amusing, intricate, paris, apartment, art gallery, chance meeting, infidelity, love, existential crisis, absurdity, life, discovery, transformation, mystery, 1980s

Short Review

You can laugh with it, if you're willing to believe that the film makers are as witty as they keep announcing without demonstrating, or you can be awestruck by the amount of care, money and talent that appear to have been spent for so little effect.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership