Documentary of Petr Horký, Russia, 2017, 71 Min., OV R/E/DE, CZ/e
The former Lada factory, built in the Russian city of Tolyatti in the 1970s, was meant to show the Western world the miracle of Soviet prosperity. The perfect utopia that none dared to doubt. More than four decades later, the plant has been losing billions of rubles every year as it slowly decays. And none dare to touch it.
A Swedish power-manager is hired to bring the miracle of the capitalist business model to the dying factory in communist Russia. Bo Inge Andersson, a former soldier who’s already resurrected one Russian automaker, comes to Tolyatti with a small team and a big goal: to be the very first non-Russian at the helm of the company.
And none dare to oppose him. Yet. As his fight for the future of the factory starts, the world around him begins to unravel. This larger-than-life Soviet dream has left behind only empty summer resorts and provincial military parades. The people of Tolyatti care little for the grand plans of the elites and focus only on day-to-day survival. What will they do as their world is turning upside down?