Lost in Karastan

RIPPER STREET stars Matthew MacFadyen and MyAnna Buring are reunited in front of the camera for his quirky and satirical offbeat adventure set in the autonomous Republic of Karastan. You’ll never look at a Film Festival in the same way again!

When washed-up and down-on-his-luck English film director Emil Forrester (M. MacFadyen) receives a surprise invite to attend a retrospective of his work at the Karastan International Film Festival, his artistic ego is immediately flattered to such an extent that he fails to do his background research of the place in question… instead embarking on the next possible Karanair flight (business class of course) to the exotic sounding country he knows so very, very little about…

Right from the arrival things seem to go pear-shaped as he encounters corrupt airport staff and a taste of Karastanian humour when he’s led away by airport guards, only to be shown into a room that has the festival organizers waiting and welcome him with a banner (WELCOME GUETS OF PALCHIK INTERNATIONAL ART HOUSE FESTIVAL) and other indecipherable language. Amongst the festival representatives is the charming and intriguing Chulpan (MyAnna Buring) who not only reveals herself as the hostess with the mostess but, as the smitten Emil will come to realise, she’s also the mistress of the country’s corrupt President Abashiliev (Richard van Weyden)… As if this doesn’t spell disaster already, more is yet to come on the ‘glitzy’ festival opening night where Emil’s heartfelt yet somewhat bumbling speech is cut short by the arrival of the president. More salt is rubbed into the wound when loose-as-a-canon and renowned ‘drink and whatever else junkie’ Xan Butler (a riotous performance by Noah Taylor) – Australia’s greatest action hero - arrives on stage dressed as Tanat, Karastan’s 14th century local hero extraordinaire. Xan is clearly off his rocker, but things get considerably hotter when – during an invite into the presidential palace – Abashiliev reveals to our hapless Emil that HE has been chosen to direct the epic life story of Tanat! Emil is flattered beyond belief though soon the monumental task turns out to be a monumental fiasco where Emil has been duped with all sorts of promises and now finds himself somewhat restricted as far as his artistic vision is concerned. Is he supposed to direct the story of Karastan’s national hero or a propaganda film representing the vision of President Abashiliev? Nothing is what it seems, not even cast and crew! Who are the Extras playing marauding Chechens and who are the supporting actors? Indeed, who are the emerging rebels trying to kidnap the puppet masters? And just which side is the increasingly mysterious Chulpan on?

Lost in Karastan tells a tale of countless vodka shots and consequent hangovers, of explosions, political corruption, money laundering, the fickleness of the film biz and of globalisation. It’s a refreshing and unusual comedy which in turn is absurd and deadpan and never ever boring, even though the film’s pace is somewhat uneven.
The leading actors do a terrific job and one can’t help getting drawn into their little universe full of deluded ambitions, manipulative schemes and political beliefs.

Filmed in and around the towns of Tbilisi, Varzia, Batumi and Shatili Village in the Caucasian country Georgia and displays both more recent wealth as well as the post-communist poverty particularly evident in the often slum-like housings. Particularly mesmerising is the incidental music, reminding of the exotic tunes of neighbouring Armenia and the films of Georgian/Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov.