The Gift to Stalin

2008 1h 37m RU

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 8

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Jewish child deported to Kazakhstan is saved and adopted by Kasym, an old Kazakh railway-man. Kasym gives him a Kazakh name, Sabyr, that in Kazakh language means humble. The child grows up in the small Kazakh village along with other deportees Vera, a traitor's wife, and Ezhik a Polish doctor. The Soviet militia harasses the poor peasants and Vera suffered the harassment of a bully cop: Bulgabi. Finally Vera accepts the marriage proposal of Ezhik but the jealous Bulgabi tries to prevent the marriage. The result is a fight in which Ezhik shoots himself accidentally. The old Kasym decides that Sabyr is now old enough to go to seek his real parents. At the end Sabyr, now an adult, decides to return to the village, but the village no longer exists because it was destroyed by a Soviet nuclear test.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nurzhuman Ihtymbaev
Kasym
Dalen Shintemirov
Sashka
David Markish
Aleksandr Povzner
Yekaterina Rednikova
Verka
Waldemar Szczepaniak
Jerzy Dąbrowski
Aleksandr Bashirov
Major
Bakhtiyar Kozha
Balgabay
Erbolat Toguzakov
Faty

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rustem Abdrashov
Writers: Ermek Tursunov, Pavel Finn
Languages: Hebrew, Kazakh, Russian
Countries: Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Hebrew, Kazakh, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rustem Abdrashov, shot by Khasan Kydyraliyev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nurzhuman Ihtymbaev and Dalen Shintemirov and David Markish carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1305027 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rustem Abdrashov directs. Khasan Kydyraliyev behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia. Dialogue in Hebrew, Kazakh, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Hebrew, Kazakh, Russian.
4International production across 4 countries: Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Rustem Abdrashov, shot by Khasan Kydyraliyev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Nurzhuman Ihtymbaev and Dalen Shintemirov and David Markish carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt1305027 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.