Zero City

Zero City by Karen Shakhnazarov (Gorod Zero, 1988, 103 min.). One of the key films of the Perestroika era, Zero City tells the story of a Moscow engineer named Varakin who arrives in a small town with instructions to change the size of a locally manufactured air-conditioner part. He arrives at the company office and is welcomed by a naked secretary. Next, he finds himself sitting down to lunch. The dessert arrives, a cake that strongly resembles his own head, baked by a chef who soon shoots himself. With its images of a burdensome past and an indeterminate future based on both folk tale and more modern forms of absurdism, Shakhnazarov's very funny and poignant film is a true historical touchstone. MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general admission $