Zerograd (1988): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Zerograd is a 1988 comedy drama directed by Karen Shakhnazarov, starring Leonid Filatov as Алексей Михайлович Варакин, Elena Arzhanik and Evgeniy Evstigneev. It runs 1 hour 37 minutes and earned $688 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 37m (97 min)
- Director
- Karen Shakhnazarov
- Original language
-
Russian - Studio
- Mosfilm
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Zerograd About?
The premise of Zerograd without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
While on a business trip, the protagonist unexpectedly arrives in a strange, fantastical city that mirrors our own world. In this place, everyday routines and quirks of daily life are laid bare, revealing an absurd, almost surreal undercurrent that forces him to confront the hidden eccentricities of ordinary existence.
Zerograd Themes & Keywords
· 22 tags- female frontal nudity
- dark comedy
- suicide
- secretary
- russia
- boat
- arrest
- museum
- elevator
- apparent suicide
- fake suicide
- cook
+10 more Show fewer
- rear nudity
- female rear nudity
- female nudity
- nudity
- female topless nudity
- surrealism
- head
- cake
- train
- farce
Zerograd Cast & Characters
Leonid Filatov leads the cast as Алексей Михайлович Варакин, with Elena Arzhanik as Нина, секретарша Пал Палыча and Evgeniy Evstigneev as директор музея. Directed by Karen Shakhnazarov; 21 actors are credited in all.
- Director Karen Shakhnazarov
- Leonid Filatov as Алексей Михайлович Варакин
- Elena Arzhanik as Нина, секретарша Пал Палыча
- Evgeniy Evstigneev as директор музея
- Aleksandr Bespalyy as электрик, хозяин дома
Also Starring in Zerograd
· 17 more- Tatyana Khvostikova Анна
- Aleksei Zharkov следователь
- Vladimir Menshov Николай Иванович Смородинов, прокурор города
- Oleg Basilashvili Василий Николаевич Чугунов, председатель писательской организации
- Дмитрий Сорокин "Сталин"
- Armen Dzhigarkhanyan Пал Палыч, директор завода
- Pyotr Shcherbakov Степан Филиппович Иванов, председатель горисполкома
- Yuriy Sherstnyov Курдюмов, официант ресторана
- Oleg Savosin грибник (нет в титрах)
- Viktor Gajnov "римский легионер" (нет в титрах)
- Georgy Zholud "строитель Беломоро-Балтийского канала, гулаговец" (нет в титрах)
- Vasili Kravtsov грибник (нет в титрах)
- Misak Gevorkyan эпизод
- Viktor Pomortsev сосед Варакина в гостинице / "анархист тов. Бурцев"
- Olga Konovalova Лиза (нет в титрах)
- Arnold Ides сосед Варакина в гостинице, экспедитор Киевоблрема
Show all 21 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Mikhail Solodovnik "Атилла" (нет в титрах)
More from Karen Shakhnazarov
More films directed by Karen Shakhnazarov, best-rated first: The Rider Named Death, In the Moscow Slums, Anna Karenina. Vronsky’s Story and Love in the USSR.
Zerograd Plot Summary
What happens in Zerograd from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Alexei Varakin, Leonid Filatov, an engineer from Moscow, travels to a nameless town in the Soviet Union for a routine business trip. On arrival at the factory, his pass is missing, creating immediate friction with the local routine. Inside, the manager’s secretary, Elena Arzhanik, is working naked, yet no one seems surprised by the odd scene. The manager remains unaware of the chief engineer’s death, a detail that will quietly haunt the day’s events.
During lunch at an empty restaurant, Alexei is offered a cake shaped like his head—a harmless joke that he refuses. The cook who prepared the cake, however, is deeply upset by the moment and ultimately takes his own life, casting a pall over the town and signaling that not everything here is as it seems.
Full summary
The whole story of Zerograd, scene by scene
Zerograd Box Office
Zerograd grossed $688 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$688
- International
- $688
Zerograd Videos
The clip of Zerograd.
How Well Do You Know Zerograd?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the Moscow engineer who travels to the nameless town?
Zerograd Also Known As
15 alternative titles, including “Miasto zero” and “Gorod Zero”.
- Also known as
-
- Miasto zero
- Gorod Zero
- Zero City
- City Zero
- Zero Town
- Città Zero
- Місто Зеро
- Град Зеро
- Ville Zéro
- Ciudad cero
- 零城
- Cidade Zero
+3 more Show fewer
- 제로 시티
- Kaupunki nimeltä Nolla
- Zéró város
Seen Zerograd?
Movies Like Zerograd
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Zerophilia, Zero and Absurdistan.
Zerograd FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Zerograd, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Zerograd?
Zerograd runs 1 hour 37 minutes (97 minutes).
When was Zerograd released?
Zerograd was released on October 1, 1988.
Who directed Zerograd?
Zerograd was directed by Karen Shakhnazarov.
More films by Karen Shakhnazarov Who is in the cast of Zerograd?
Zerograd stars Leonid Filatov as Алексей Михайлович Варакин, Elena Arzhanik as Нина, секретарша Пал Палыча and Evgeniy Evstigneev as директор музея, among 21 credited actors.
How much did Zerograd make at the box office?
Zerograd grossed $688 worldwide.
Does Zerograd have a post-credit scene?
No. Zerograd has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Zerograd in?
The original language of Zerograd is Russian.
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