good back-story, and good acting

An absolute waste of money

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

touching, powerful, useful. words about a film who reflects the passion of its director/lead actor for a play about a sort of love , life in a small town, desires, ambitions and the seeds of success. a slice of Soviet Union and one of the most remarkable performances of Vladimir Mashkov. because it is the genre of film exploring delicate theme. the need to be yourself and ignore the past, the unconditioned love and the price of success, the small, delicate feelings. and the relation father - son. touching is the realism of a not comfortable story about weakness and antisemitism and life under Communism and in war times. and this did the film special. a profound delicacy and a precise portrait .

an old play. extraordinary acting. a story in frame of a gloomy period. surely, Papa is one of films who must see. for its force and grace. for its special beauty - reflection of emotions and fights, for extraordinary images and for music. it is Vladimir Mashkov movie and you feel that, scene by scene, more deeply. a film about dreams, choices and happiness. a Russian story extraordinary not only for itself but for the link between characters, past of original play, for the emotions as paintings in sand. and for something who has not place in the words body. maybe, it is far to be original. but it can be a form of revelation/wake-up for a part of its public. because, it is a Russian film. but its message is universal.

The film "Papa" (2004) is based on Aleksandr Galych's play "Matrosskaya Tishina" written in 1946. Aleksandr Galich, who had achieved a cult status in the Soviet Union as a dissident-poet, song-writer and singer was forced to leave the country in 1974 and died in exile, in Paris. He never lived to see his play on the stage because it was banned after its dress rehearsal before the premiere in 1956. The commission of Party bureaucrats that saw the play before its release decided that it was not a good idea to make a main character an uneducated Jewish single father with alcoholic problems. "Matrosskaya Tishina" was forbidden and forgotten for about 30 years.Vladimir Mashkov, the writer/director/producer/star of the film, is one of the brightest and most popular modern Russian actors. He also successfully works behind the camera. Mashkov played the role of Abraham Schwartz on the stage when the play was finally released in the 90s, and to adapt "Matrosskaya Tishina to the screen was his longtime dream: "In general I performed this role over 400 times in different countries of the world: in Japan, Germany, France… I believe that a lot was written and said about maternal love. Unfortunately paternal love has not yet been praised enough. And then I realized that I had to make the movie "Daddy".The film honestly depicts the complicated father-son relationship. Abraham Schwartz is not easy to like or respect but he loves his son dearly and dreams of his success as a violinist at the Moscow Conservatory. "Papa" realistically presents details of the Soviet realities from the 1930s to the middle of 1940s in Moscow and a small provincial town, as well as the tragic fate of many Soviet citizens including the victims of Holocaust during the long four years of WWII (Great Patriot War). The film which is very personal for its creator who plays against the type and practically lives in the role of an aging Jewish single father is moving, compelling, and treats us with wonderful violin music which is performed by one of the best musicians of our time, Vladimir Spivakov, the celebrated violinist and conductor. "Papa" deserves to be seen by many viewers not only in Russia but around the world.

This is a great film, with wonderful performances from all the 3 lead actors. The film is based on a play in which Mashkov, the director, acted on stage in Moscow. A young musician, David, is growing up in a small town in Ukraine in the 1930s, and dreams of going to Moscow to train as a violinist, a dream which his alcoholic single father supports. Their relationship is strained, and when David finally leaves for Moscow he puts his past behind him and starts a new life. On a day in which all his dreams seem to be coming true, he is again confronted by his father, and his reaction is one that he later regrets. The theme of fatherhood seems to be one close to Mashkov's heart, as his first film as director (he has a long and extremely impressive CV as an actor in Russia, though is probably best known in the West for his lead in the Russian film "Thief", which got an international release, and an Oscar nomination if I remember rightly) and as the Serbian sniper in the US film Behind Enemy Lines), "Sirota Kazanskaya", also looked at this theme, though in a different way. That film was much more sentimental, and was a comedy, whereas this is very different. The first time I watched the film it seemed to be very bitty (there are three different segments, each set within a single day: childhood in Tulchin, student in Moscow, and adult during the Second World War), but having seen it again, it seemed less so, and flowed more. There are some really beautiful shots - the cinematographer deserves much credit for this film, and great acting. Both the actors who play David are wonderful,and both pretty much newcomers, particularly to roles of this size, though Yegor Beroyev (David as an adult) seems to be on the threshold of great success in Russia. Mashkov appears to take great delight in completely hiding his good looks and completely convincingly playing an old man, as he has done on stage since his graduation from drama school. The film has been criticised for playing too much for the international market and overplaying the whole communist context, and there is an introduction to the Moscow segment with a bit too much red - banners, balloons etc, but I think only that one segment could be considered to be gilding the lily, and indeed can be forgiven for being so beautifully shot. The other references are realistic and play an integral part in David's internal conflict. This film is also refreshing in that it doesn't try and explain everything or tie up all the loose ends. Life isn't neat and tidy and we rarely know all the whys and wherefores! Different people have very different opinions about this film, but I was impressed, and bought the DVD! I don't know what kind of international release this film has had or will get, but if you get the chance, watch it!