In association with Chattanooga's Russian Film Fellowhsip, Heritage House presents the traditional Russian New Years Eve screwball comedy, The Irony of (or Enjoy Your Steam Bath).
"The film is an annual holiday rite in Russian culture and televised broadcasts of it draw millions of viewers every New Year's Eve," officials said.
The evening's screening on Dec. 31 will be preceded by a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a simple side, (non-alcoholic) beverage, or covered dish to share.
The film will get underway at 6 p.m. and be presented in its original Russian with English subtitles.
Film Synopsis:
On New Year’s Eve in 1970s Moscow, Zhenya Lukashin, a 30-something doctor who lives with and obeys his mother (a completely normal situation in Russia) is for the first time preparing to celebrate the New Year with his fiancée, a bossy and possessive young woman. The doctor is shy and scared of commitment, but it seems that now he is finally about to tie the knot.
However, Zhenya has other obligations, too -- every year his friends and he go to the banya (steam-bath) together. This is a longstanding tradition he cannot break, not even for his fiancée.
At the bath the friends toast each other endlessly until the men all get completely plastered. The two who have managed to stay barely conscious remember that one of the lads was supposed to be flying to Leningrad. Ah, but which one?
In a hilarious case of mistaken identity and identical door keys / apartments / furniture (it is Soviet Russia, after all), our hero and heroine will each follow a convoluted and ironic path to their true happiness. They may end up with their soul mates, eventually, but getting there will be half the fun.