Streak of Luck

The fifth film in a Mosfilm "youth" anthology series comprising three short stories. The first story, 'Vizit' (The Visit), directed by filmmaker turned politician Yevgeni Gerasimov, tells the story of a rural boy visiting his former village girlfriend, now living in Moscow. Next comes a short film by Aleksandr Majorov called 'Zolotye rybki' (Goldfishes), which is based on a story of a magical goldfish brought from a provincial pet store by the late Russian historian and science-fiction and fantasy writer Kir Bulychyov. The final segment and the title of the film, 'Polosa vezeniya' (Streak of Luck), tells the story of a member of staff at a research institute who is offered the job of department head but has second thoughts when he discovers the previous boss was unfairly dismissed.

Directed by Yevgeni Gerasimov, Aleksandr Mayorov, Semyon Morozov, Streak of Luck leans on a strong ensemble — Oleg Stefan, Natalya Vavilova, Svetlana Nemolyaeva — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about fantasy titles of 1983.