Why Wouldn’t We Send… a Messenger?

A farmer who loaned money to develop his farm and ends up broke as bailiffs seize his property. In desperation he goes to extremes, destroying his own boiler and threatening his house to prevent the bank from taking more. His road trip to meet the president becomes a cross-country portrait of 1990s Russia.

Ivan’s companion who is mentally ill and carries a home-made rifle-like prop and medals from his sons who died in Afghanistan. He travels in the trunk for a time and speaks in short, catchy phrases about liberty and jail. His presence adds chaos and odd humor to the journey while revealing the scars of war on ordinary people.

A well-dressed businessman rescued from a river in a car that has fallen in. He embodies the “new Russian” stereotype but proves to be kind and generous, inviting Ivan and Yakov to his home and giving Ivan a mobile phone with an invitation to Moscow. He symbolizes unexpected decency amid a mercurial economy.

A soldier who has gone AWOL and navigates a village wedding, facing hostility from a bride’s mother who stereotypes Caucasians as bandits. He reveals the human cost of war and displacement, and Ivan helps avert punishment by calling his unit commander. His arc touches on loyalty, prejudice, and military trauma.

Daughter of Ivan’s brother-in-law, returning from a Paris competition with first prize money. She values a harp over cash, and the family collaborates to fund her next stage, including plans to send her to Japan for further opportunities. Her success represents a beacon of cultural aspiration amid economic hardship.

Cosmonaut who collides with Ivan after a brick-laden truck accident and invites him to Star City. He guides Ivan toward an appreciation of space training and technology, and a film crew’s presence helps Ivan appear on national television. His presence links personal struggle to national achievement.

A young street-child Ivan grows fond of; the boy is part of an orphaned group living in a basement, led by an older kid missing a leg from a mine injury. Ivan’s desire to adopt Sasha marks a moment of choosing hope over resignation in a world of hardship.

Ivan’s wife, whose birthday forms a quiet counterpoint to the chaos of the journey. The ending sees Ivan return home with Sasha and Yakov to start life anew, underscoring family and ordinary life as a counterweight to the day-to-day extremes of the road.