Mind Floating

When “Roads to Koktebel” by Boris Khlebnikov and Aleksei Popogrebsky appeared together with “The Return” by Andrei Zviagintsev two years ago, the three young Russian directors were announced as the new spiritual followers of Andrei Tarkovsky.

Although “Roads to Koktebel” didn’t achieve the phenomenal success of “The Return” (Golden Lion in Venice), Khlebnikov and Popogrebsky won recognition as promising authors with serious intention to restore philosophy and contemplation into contemporary cinema. Khlebnikov’s second film “Free floating” could be accepted as a continuing trial in that direction but using comedy genre’s rules. It is a sparing of words absurd comedy observing the grey jobless everyday life of a young dreamer who pretends to be no matter where but far away from his own reality. That’s why he can spend hours gazing into a single spot, drinks up till losing his memory and falls in love in a girl he hated at school.

Beside this doesn’t lose hope that will finally find a new job, in spite of the hopeless situation. And obviously comedy is elegantly mixed with tragedy – of the depressing countryside life, silent loneliness and senseless existence. If the characters in “Road to Koktebel” were traveling to find a calm place for their thoughts, in “Free floating” people are physically “tied” by the circumstances but their minds are free to float.