A comedy starring Nina Shaternikova, The Skotinins is loosely based on the 18th century play The Minor by Denis Fonvizin. In it, the upper class is shown as both depraved and stupid, engaging a variety of absurd, over-the-top follies.
The action takes place in the early 1930s in the fictional Asian state of Gulistan. The construction of railways in the country is hampered by a strong foreign state. Under the guise of a “saint from Mecca,” a saboteur-provocateur arrives in Gulistan. Carrying out the will of his masters, he...