You to Me, Me to You (1976)
Ivan Sergeevich Kashkin — the bath attendant of the most prestigious metropolitan bath. It’s not easy to get to him: reputable diplomats, well-known footballers, and the heads of the ministry are seeking the honor to steam. But Kashkin himself does not need to achieve anything, everything is at his service — from black caviar to tickets to the conservatory. And the hero’s cloudless life would have flowed, but then his twin brother Sergei fell ill and asked Ivan to replace him in his equally strange work.
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I love this movie so much
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
How do you think, who is he ? Can you guess by his appearance ? Famous actor ? Music star ? Professor ? Ambassador ? Minister ? He looks like he is all them at once. Cigar. Expensive sunglasses. Suit. Diplomat case in his hand. He is a sauna man in Moscow. And he has got a talent, God's spark, for his quite trivial job, that makes him top famous in Moscow. Moscow cream de la cream: diplomats, ministers, actors, big wigs que up and book weeks ahead for one hour of his working soap, coconut fiber, hands, and bath besom over their bodies tired by intellectual work. I bet, on Earth such career rises are possible only in Moscow, but there is a reverse side as well. Of course, all those famous and mighty people try to maintain a friendly relationship with him, and surely they are ready to render him a service on the occasion. "Scracth my back and I will scratch yours" (the very apt movie's title) - the life philosophy accepted among the successful and well-to-do people of his circle becomes the hero's guide in life and opens for him all doors in the mega-police. An ended up child of post-modernism, having Orthodox icons in his flat neighboring with the pictures from the light magazines, he is ready to deliver his opinion on almost every subject from the labourist policy in England to the Russian football system. He enjoys the life of Moscow dandy. But suddenly, his glamorous life ideals get harshly trialed as he gets involved in the action that takes place in his native country village far away from Moscow. His twin brother who works fish protection inspector suddenly falls ill during the fish spawning season, and calls him with the emergency telegram to the country to replace him for a week. They are twins, and the appearance of the twin of the fish inspector on the river during the fish spawning season should keep the poachers off. In this situation our hero's philosophy "scratch my back and I will scratch yours" turns detrimental for the river, for the fish, for the justice, and for the hero's relationship: instead of cracking down on the poachers he makes a "scratch my back and I will scratch yours" treaty with them. And instead of whipping the ass of the director of the local factory that severely pollutes the river he makes a bargain with him allowing the factory to continue the pollutant discharge. All this ends up with an ecological catastrophe and a crash of his relationship with the love of his youth who was wating for him for many years in the country. However a crash of the ill philosophy is rather a blessing than a tragedy. Repenting, our hero changes, makes a spontaneous fight against the gang of the malicious poachers, dramatically looses, but finally wins it with the God's help. Brilliant cast, brilliant stars, well-paced psychological drama-comedy with the elements of satire. Give it 8 of 10.