EditLeto (2018)

Leningrad, en sommer i begyndelsen af 80’erne. LP’er af Lou Reed og David Bowie smugles ind i landet i stor stil, undergrundens rockscene koger under Perestroika. Mayk kæmper for at promovere rockmusikken i et kontrolleret Sovjet. En dag møder han den unge Victor Tsoi, der har de musikalske evner til at skråle den sovjetiske befolkning op. Mayks kone Natalia bliver fascineret af denne nye stjerne, og det samme gør Mayk. Der udspiller sig ligeså stille et trekantsdrama. Kirill Serebrennikovs film tog både anmeldere og publikum med storm i Cannes. Instruktøren selv sidder i husarrest og kunne ikke deltage i premieren. Filmen er en hyldest til rockmusikkens betydning for en undertrykt generation og samtidig en bidsk kommentar til det moderne Rusland.

Meaning ‘summer’ in Russian, “Leto” is a kind of tribute to Victor Tsoi, revealing some little-known facts about the legendary singer and songwriter. He is recognised among the pioneers of the Russian rock music and is also a co-founder of “Kino”, one of the most influential bands in the history of modern Russian music. The plot is based on the love triangle, formed by Victor himself when he was only 19, and by Mike Naumenko and his wife Natalia, who were in their 20s. It also tells the story of “Leningrad Rock Club” formation and mentions the recording of “45”, Victor’s first music album. As too many famous rock musicians, Victor died when he was only 28 years old, in car accident.