Seymour Tahirbekov
Сеймур Тахирбеков - международный шахматный гроссмейстер. Выиграв турнир претендентов, он получает право сразиться с действующим чемпионом мира по шахматам. Классический неврастеник Сеймур соблюдает спортивную дисциплину в жизни: навязчивые тренировки под присмотром его токсичного отца и тренера Ханлара, обязательные встречи с правительственными чиновниками и крайне редкие визиты (в качестве вознаграждения) к его любимому деду Анвару. За несколько недель до матча чемпионата мира по шахматам психологическое и эмоциональное состояние Сеймура ухудшается из-за усиливающегося давления, нацеленного на успех любой ценой, и Сеймур убегает.
Preston is an indecisive film school lecturer who dreams of being a great film director like the European directors whose work he teaches - Bergman, Fellini, Truffaut, Antonioni, Godard and Buñuel. One day his wife leaves him, telling him that she believes he will never be anything more than a teacher. Depressed, Preston is visited by the ghost of Ingmar Bergman who tells him to use his misery as the material for a great film just as he did in his 'Scenes from a Marriage'. Taking Bergman's advice, Preston decides to make a film, in an attempt to prove his wife wrong and in the hope of winning her back. Using the facilities of the school and the students as his crew, Preston shoots his film but soon finds that he is visited by the ghosts of series of famous, dead European directors who offer him advice on how to improve his film. Following their wise but disparate counsel his film goes wildly out of control and becomes a huge, sprawling, incoherent mess.
