One morning, Aleksandr Plotnikov wakes up in his room in Moscow and realizes that his homeland has started a war. He is twenty-six years old, graduated from film school a few months ago, has big productions coming up, and is considered a talented director. Now he wonders how long he has been asleep. He goes into exile in Armenia, dazed by events, he strolls through the capital Yerevan, then sits down at the table in his new room and writes a text. It is about the cosmonauts who never made it into space, about the heroes and at the same time losers of history, whom no one remembers because the concept of identity has failed. The text is thoughtful, poetic, too raw, too refined, too absurd, and a very peculiar work of art. It is an attempt to reinvent reality in an upside-down world. But is that possible?

Plotinikov, now thirty years old, is bringing his play, which is not really a play, to Basel in a production that is not really a production. We are delighted to have him as our guest.

Russian with German and English subtitles

Duration: approx. 60 minutes

It's The Real Thing | Basler Dokumentartage 26
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