Garage People

Russia’s Far North is an inhospitable region where winter never seems to end and the fresh snow is covered by the black soot of industry. Here, on the edge of a city where a mining company is the sole employer, garages stretch out into infinity. Behind their rusty doors you can find just about everything – except a car. These boltholes are the refuge of the Russian man. Within a few square meters, he can devote his inventive talent and tenacity to creating an alternative living space. Each garage is a place for self-fulfilment containing big dreams and a respite from the dreariness of everyday life above the Arctic Circle. Scrap collector Ilja uses his as a workshop; Roman breeds quail in his, while Pavel carves figures of saints. Two soldiers on manoeuvres nearby use theirs to store their equipment. The garage belonging to a rock band serves as a rehearsal room whereas, in a decades-long effort, Viktor has extended his by adding four underground floors. All of them provide an insight into the longings, anxieties and passions of their owners. Together they form a microcosm that reveals a hidden part of society in which there is also room for humour. (Berlinale)