Subject for a Short Story (1969) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1969 · 82 mins · Russian

Directed by

Sergei Yutkevich

Starring

Marina Vlady, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, Iya Savvina, Yuriy Yakovlev, Rolan Bykov

The film follows Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on October 17, 1896, as a poster for the premiere of “The Seagull” appears on the Alexandrinsky Theatre. With hours left before the performance, Chekhov and his sister Masha await Lika Mizinova’s arrival from Moscow. He is anxious about the debut, stirred by the prospect of a reunion that never happens, and haunted by memories of meeting Lika, harsh press predicting his “death under the fence,” and the sudden decision to travel to Sakhalin.