Boomer | |
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Boomer film poster
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Directed by | Peter Buslov |
Produced by | Sergei Chliyants |
Written by | Peter Buslov Denis Rodimin |
Starring |
Vladimir Vdovichenkov Andrei Merzlikin |
Release date
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2 August 2003 (Russia) |
Running time
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110 min. |
Language | Russian |
Budget | US$700,000 |
Bimmer (Russian: Бумер; IPA: [ˈbumʲɪr]) is a 2003 Russian road movie directed by Peter Buslov, written by Peter Buslov and Denis Rodimin. The plot revolves around four friends who get into trouble with the law and flee Moscow in a black BMW (the eponymous "").
As the men drive across the Russian expanse, they encounter corruption, violence, poverty, and various situations characterizing the bleakness and challenges of small-town life in post-Soviet Russia. Considered to be not only an action film, but also a critique of the policies of Boris Yeltsin, Bummer depicts the economic crisis that followed Russia's sudden transition to a free market economy, and with it, a lost generation of men who grow up in a world ruled by criminal gangs and corrupt law enforcement. Despite a modest budget of US$700,000, and a limited cinematic release, Bummer became a national hit in Russia, noted both for its cinematic quality and its soundtrack, which was popularized by Seryoga's (Серёга) music video "Чёрный Бумер" ("Black Bimmer"). Both the film and its soundtrack have won awards, including the Golden Aries from the Russian Guild of Film Critics.
The film takes place in Moscow and surrounding small-town areas in 1998 and 1999. Four friends – Kostya (Konstantin) 'Kot' ('Tomcat'), Dimon (Dmitry) 'Oshparenny' ('Scalded'), Lyokha (Alexey) 'Killa' ('Killer'), and Petya (Peter) 'Rama' ('Frame') – find themselves pursued by both the mob and the police after a carjacking incident involving Dimon leads to an altercation that results in Lyokha accidentally killing an undercover law enforcement officer. The four men drive out of a Moscow in a black BMW 750IL that was earlier stolen by Dimon and Petya, intending to hide out at a country house (dacha) belonging to a mutual friend. On the way, they receive a coded communication via a radio station call that an ambush is awaiting them at the dacha.