Courier (1986) User Reviews

The Messenger Boy Brings the End of Communism

[kril10 · 9/10 · 21 April 2013]

The Messenger Boy brought the "gritty reality" of the time approaching the end of the Soviet Union to the screen in a much more enjoyable way than other Chernukhas like Little Vera. Although the main character Ivan represents the rebellion and insolence that was associated with the young generation of the time without any restraint, there was an underlying positive quality, almost a purity, in him that singled him out as an authentic, "good" person of the time.

A great way to describe this masked purity would be to compare Ivan with Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Both characters share a certain "unlikeability" among their elders and the older generation of the society of which they are part, but their frankness is seen as a positive directional icon to their own generation. Each dropped out of school and flops around society with either a poor job or none at all, but is nevertheless seen as a lost child in a dirty world, and hence pitied for their genuineness. Katia enjoyed Ivan's tactless mannerisms much like Holden's friends (however few) enjoyed his general apathy--they felt a bond with each representation of the "lost generation."

The movie truly made one feel for Ivan's plight--it's not that he did not care, it is simply that the society of which he was part was falling apart, so their expectations on his behavior did not do much. It is precisely this truth, this authenticity, that made Ivan, and the entire movie, so enjoyable to watch. Finally, props to Oleg Basilashvili, the actor who played Katia's father, to be able to switch roles so effectively from The Autumn Marathon as Bouzikin to The Messenger Boy-- it almost seemed like nothing had changed, it is just that time has passed between the two, which further adds to the truth value of this particular film.

Kuryer, or the tribulations of youth in transition

[juan_palmero2010 · 7/10 · 9 December 2010]

Early Perestroika years in Moscow. The Communist regime has brought about relative wealth and comfort, but also growing differences between the haves and the have nots. Belonging to the middle-upper class means working hard and conforming. Ivan Miroshnik is a teenager pampered by his mum who has just divorced. He plans neither to work hard nor to conform. After uncaringly failing his university entrance exams, he does not know what to do with himself, but mum finds him a job as a messenger boy in a small editing house. On his first day at work Ivan is sent to take a parcel to professor Kuznetsov, who belongs to the successful upper class. On arrival, he meets Katya, the professor's daughter, and quickly and effectively sets out to charm her with his cheek and impudence. Katya has led a protected life and quickly takes to Ivan's "originality", while Ivan goes with the flow. As to professor Kuznetsov, he decides that Ivan is just a supplied, rude and nihilist young man.

Ivan and Katya meet, alone or with their usual group of friends, and class differences soon become painfully obvious. Ivan's constant dubious practical jokes, probably the only means he has to try and please, start to lead to very unpleasant situations.

This film is about the wavering of youth, sexual attraction among people with different backgrounds, about clashes between generations, the end of the Soviet Union and the rejection of its values by younger people. Very interesting and honest analysis of Katya's psyche, achieved with just a few brush strokes.

This film got several prizes when it was released, and has aged well, since it contains sufficient reflections on universal issues (clothes and hairstyles aside, perhaps). Good musical score by E. Artemev.

A conduit of change

[dminkin · 8/10 · 21 April 2013]

Ivan, a boy living in the years of Perestroika and Glasnost, finds himself on the precipice between youth and adulthood. Unlike "little" Vera, the world of adults is not something he outright rejects. Evidence may be found in his calm, unflinching demeanor, his compassion for his family, and his seamless ease of integration in the company of adults, but nothing more clearly stands out than his advice to Bazin after Ivan gifts him his coat: "Wear it and wish for something great". In a shot, this one line exposes Ivan's imagination, creativity, and drive, qualities that are underdeveloped in many of his peers. He must rely on these exclusively as he transitions between childhood and adulthood.

These are not the only two worlds Ivan must navigate between. He fancies Katya, a professor's daughter, who possesses an education and lives a life of luxury and propriety. Ivan serves as the messenger, transporting ideas from Katya's world of the well-to-do to his own gritty reality and vice-versa. This deeper metaphor, present in the film's title, is impossible to miss. The clash between the worlds of the poor and the rich, of children and adults, proves too much to handle for Katya, who disenchanted, rebels against her parents at a social gathering and plays Ivan's coarse and raucous tune for the roomful of adults.

Unlike his father, Ivan is responsible. He cares for his mother and thinks of the future. This is manifested into the form of a young man in uniform staring with eyes full of nostalgia at the gathering of children at the end of the film as Ivan stares back pondering if he would be treated to the same fate and wondering what the future will hold. All of Russia would be similarly apprehensive of what would come of Perestroika and Glasnost. I believe Ivan is Karen Shakhnazarov's answer.

A new look at the " Courier"

[SoverniX · 8/10 · 9 March 2021]

I looked at the well-known painting "Courier"quite differently. At the time of my "mid-teens", this film did not exactly not touch me, it was boring and even disgusted. I dare say, 10 years ago, I was already annoyed by one image of Ivan...

Today I saw a lot of new things, I got into the fate of the heroes. I just watched a movie that I should have SEEN a long time ago. It happens. Amazing feeling. And even Ivan appeared to me in a completely different person. I laughed a lot from the heart and also thought a lot about the eternal questions of our common life...

I recommend this film for viewing, especially to new generations, for whom many of the messages of this picture could become a successful bulwark in the arrangement of life priorities, which I personally, alas, could not cope with on my own at the time.

Courier-A meaningful Russian film by Karen Shakhnazarov which would continue to charm audiences.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 14 May 2013]

It is true that Russian film "Courier" is more than 25 years old but its emotional as well as intellectual impact continues to be astounding. Each time a viewer sees it, one is reminded of the struggles for freedom which people of the past had to undergo. It is somewhat autobiographical in nature as it depicts some events which took place in Mr.Karen Shakhnazarov's life. It was directed by him in 1987 but depicts what happened to him as a youngster two decades ago in 1967. Much of the film is based on the point of view of a non conformist, upper middle class youth whose views indirectly influence his girl friend too. We also get a chance to see a huge chasm in the form of generation gap. Karen Shakhnazarov maintains the balance as he gives an honest perspective of the difficulties faced by parents while raising their children.Courier has its share of comic scenes too but not they cannot be classified as slapstick comedy scenes. The best example of this film's artistic mischievousness is reflected in a scene wherein the film's protagonist, claiming some lines by the great Russian poet Pushkin as his own, confidently reads them to impress an influential person. It was in 1987 that film critic Lalit Rao watched "Courier" for the first time on India's national television network "Doordarshan".This film was part of a series of award winning foreign films which were shown rather late in night. A whole generation of cinéphiles in India were formed by watching such world cinema classics.

Combination of Shukshin's tragicomedy and Ryazanov's humor...

[LE020 · 9/10 · 8 May 2002]

I first saw "Kuryer" when I was 8. All I remember is the change of moods that it inspired in me--from tears of laughter to gloomy sadness. Were I born 6-7 years earlier, I might have very well experienced the dillemmas that confronted the young hero of this film...

Half the country is "crying", and the other half is "dancing".

[Evgenii06 · 9/10 · 13 January 2024]

"Courier" - 1986

Directed by Karen Shaknazarov

Karen Shaknazarov is a USSR-Russian director who has made such soulful films as "Zero grad", "We are from jazz", "American daughter" and "Courier". Shaknazarov shows us the system and philosophy of the place where our story takes place. He shows us the world of the teenagers of that time. The adults want to understand the teenagers when teens want to live for a while without having a consistent goal in life. There is a scene in which our protagonist has dinner with a kind of "secular people". Eventually, one of the members is driven mad by the topic of "teenagers", to which Ivan responds with a simple sentence: "We will sow our wild oats and be like you". The strict and harsh socialism of the USSR has an impact on people and their attitude to life.

1986 is the year in which this film was shot. At that time, people already felt that the USSR was on the verge of collapse, which finally happened in 1991.

Right at the beginning of the story, we see what kind of family our protagonist comes from. Ivan is the main character of this movie, the world revolves around him, but at the same time he is not that important. The average middle class family where no one can suggest you a potential "nepotism" about your future and career path. Ivan realises this at such a young age. By chance, he meets a girl who has a higher status than him. Her name is Katya. She has never been surrounded by middle-class people, and even more so by middle-class boys. The audacity, rudeness and humour of Ivan make her obsessed with him. He has this kind of "uniqueness" that she has never seen before. Throughout the movie, we are full of this time when half the country is "crying", and the other half is "dancing".

During the movie Ivan gets older, understanding of how reality works does not make him disappointed or even happier, he grows up. The system works this way, and you can't deal with it. You are surrounded by people who have the same status as you. You don't want to study? Then you have the option of working as a courier or whatever. At the end we see a soldier who has just come back from Afghanistan, Kuleshov effect, romanticization, Ivan sees himself in the eyes of this warrior and the warrior sees himself in Ivan's eyes. He used to be a frivolous teenager like Ivan, but the war has completely changed his life.

I can recommend this work of art ad infinitum. Karen Shaknazarov felt it and I assume he lived it through his own life experience. Great cast, every single character was one hundred percent realised. The soundtrack was chosen in a particularly ironic way that makes it perfect. A simple story with a deep meaning, simple words that makes big sense.

9/10.

Evgenii N.

Maybe a Russian equivalent of John Hughes films

[samanthamarciafarmer · 6/10 · 10 December 2015]

I imagine that Courier holds a similar place in Russian youth culture to the role John Hughes' movies hold in American culture; at the very least, I hope it does. Shakhnazarov's film is recognizably set in the 1980's, but it also seems to be timeless (besides the idiosyncratically 80's music), and this is perhaps due to the selective portrayal of Moscow. The majority of cinematic depictions of the city, where famous locations are shown at a remarkable landmark to frame ratio, make the city so prominent that it's hard to differentiate it from human characters. In Courier, however, the uniformity of Soviet dwellings and buildings make the city anonymous; the only obvious references to it are in name only. This adds to the universality of the film and Ivan's experiences. While Ivan frustrates with his nonchalance and frequent lying, the poetic scenes that Shakhnazarov fits in the corners belie the heart of the film, as well as the inner workings of Ivan's mind. Stereotypically "African" warriors haunt his dreams; he converses with a bust of his very-much-alive father in a mausoleum. At the end of the day, Ivan comes off as scared and confused at the aftermath of his parents' divorce that overshadows his mother's and his own life. The film vacillates between a gritty, saturated daily life and a surreal subconscious effortlessly. By the end, the viewer finds themselves sympathizing with Ivan. It is an accessible film for all ages in any era, although unfortunately my own life doesn't include break dancing to heavy synthesizers as the sun sets.

The symbolism

[shipovalery · 10/10 · 19 January 2022]

The symbolism of the degeneration of the Soviet project is revealed in perhaps the film's most bizarre scene: Ivan speaks to a bust of his father in what looks like an abandoned mausoleum. And if the father-conqueror-of-spaces becomes a bust of the Secretary General, a mummy...