December, 31st. Impossible Moscow traffic, an endless rush leading to nothing, people trying to help but not making things any better. Small talk… about small things that fill one’s life — and make it pass us by too quickly. About Dad, who’s only got a few weeks left to live — and there’s nothing you can do to help... About plans for life of a 15-year-old girl — should she become a cancer specialist or a food designer?
Elena is a woman of a certain age, living in a chic Moscow apartment with her wealthy businessman husband Vladimir. While Vladimir is estranged from his daughter, he does not mask his contempt for Elena's own child, who seems to be in constant need of financial assistance. When Vladimir suddenly falls ill and his volatile, nihilistic daughter comes back into the picture, Elena must hatch a plan for her own survival.
Vera has reached the top of her profession and owns her own company. Young, determined and successful, she is, however, lonely and unhappy. One night when Vera is driving home, she hits a young man on the road. She takes him to hospital but feels so responsible for the accident that she visits him every day bringing him food and gifts. They soon fall in love and on leaving the hospital, Anton moves into Vera’s flat. Meanwhile, Vera’s company is suddenly and inexplicably on the verge of bankruptcy, and when Vera witnesses Anton meeting with the manager of a rival company and giving him a package, she assumes he has betrayed her and throws him out. Imagine her astonishment, when she discovers that the informant is actually the wife of her company’s president, who has been leaking information to her lover, who works for a competitor.
Corrupt cops, street gangs, "Bratki" in "Bummers" (BMWs) steal and "Merins" (Mercedeses), angry truck drivers, beautiful women and death are what four friends in a black Bummer who go on a mission from one region of Russia to another are about to face in the wasteland of small-town Russia. A critique of the policies of Boris Yeltsin, it depicted the economic crisis that followed Russia's transition towards a free market economy, and with it, a lost generation, with no job security, who are pushed into a world of crime and rebellion. Despite a modest budget of US$700,000, and a limited cinematic release, it became a national hit in Russia as well its soundtrack, popularized by 'Seryoga's' (Серёга) music video "Чёрный Бумер" ("Black Bummer"). Both the film and its soundtrack have won awards, including the prestigious Golden Aries from the Russian Guild of Film critics.
