Shirli-Myrli

Shirli-Myrli, also released as What a Mess!, is a 1995 Russian farce comedy directed by Vladimir Menshov and produced at the Mosfilm studio. The story follows a pursued con man who steals a huge diamond, setting off a chain of chaotic events. Valery Garkalin appears in multiple roles, playing identical twins who were raised believing they belonged to different cultures and races, each looking down on the other. Alongside its slapstick plot, the film satirizes chauvinism, antisemitism and the ethnic tensions of 1990s Russia. It was Menshov's fourth film as director and his first since Love and Pigeons in 1984. Garkalin received the best actor award for this film at the Kinoshock festival in Anapa in 1995. The cast also features well-known performers such as Vera Alentova, Inna Churikova and Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. The picture takes its title from a simple tune sung by the main character, and it is regarded as one of the representative works of 1990s Russian cinema.