The Stoker

2010 1h 23m RU

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 75

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A shell-shocked Afghanistan war hero named Ivan Skryabin (Mikhail Skryabin) spends his days stoking the fire in a giant coal furnace. When he isn’t tending the flames, he keeps busy with other activities. He works on a historical novel. His adult daughter Sasha (Aida Tumutova) comes to visit. Local kids come to gaze at the flames. Gangsters, including a former Army sergeant (Aleksandr Mosin) and a sniper known as Bison (Yuri Matveyev), drop by to add special kindling to the fire.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mikhail Skryabin
Kochegar
Yuri Matveyev
Vassily 'Bizon'
Aleksandr Mosin
Sergeant - father of Masha
Aida Tumutova
Sasha, daughter Kochegar
Anna Korotayeva
Masha
Filipp Dyachkov
Vyacheslav Pavlyut
Fyodor Alekseevich
Vyacheslav Telnov
Andrei Sergeevich

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aleksei Balabanov
Writers: Aleksei Balabanov
Languages: Russian
Countries: 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 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aleksei Balabanov, shot by Aleksandr Simonov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tatyana Kuzmichyova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Mikhail Skryabin and Yuri Matveyev and Aleksandr Mosin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1746183 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 75 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aleksei Balabanov directs. Aleksandr Simonov behind the camera. Tatyana Kuzmichyova cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Russia. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Directed by Aleksei Balabanov, shot by Aleksandr Simonov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Tatyana Kuzmichyova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Mikhail Skryabin and Yuri Matveyev and Aleksandr Mosin carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1746183 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 75 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.