| A Friend of the Deceased | |
| Director: | Viacheslav Kryshtofovych |
| Starring: | Oleksandr Lazarev Jr. |
| Cinematography: | Vilen Kalyuta |
| Runtime: | 100 minutes |
| Country: | France Ukraine |
| Language: | Ukrainian/Russian |
A Friend of the Deceased (Ukrainian: Приятель небіжчика) is a 1997 Ukrainian drama film directed by Viacheslav Kryshtofovych.[1] The film was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2] [3]
The era of "wild capitalism" was gaining momentum when Anatoly was abandoned by his wife. He was young, handsome, and intelligent, with knowledge of a foreign language, but for some reason he did not fit into modern life, which was completely incomprehensible to him. A meeting with his former classmate Dima, who was successfully trading in a commercial kiosk, became his Ariadne's thread in the world of new morality. Life becomes like a movie. Anatoliy's rash and frivolous act became the first link in a chain of events that resulted in the murder of a man who was himself a hired killer. This man's little son called Anatoliy dad… How will Anatoliy behave after that? Will he become a father to the boy or will he take the place of the killer?