Exitfilm production “Mausoleum” of the Pathologist Abrikosov’s critical night

Exitfilm production “Mausoleum” of the Pathologist Abrikosov’s critical night, by Lauri Randla was nominated to EFTA Awards in the Short Films category.

“Mausoleum” continues successfully its travel at the world film festivals.

One of the standout films from the entire weekend was The Mausoleum directed by Lauri Randla. It tells the story of the pathologist Aleksei Abrikosov, who embalmed Lenin’s body. Disaster strikes when they find a fly on the end of Lenin’s nose – and a fly hasn’t been quite so scary since Jeff Goldblum. It’s a snapshot of life in Russia under Stalin, which doesn’t feel as though it even strays that far from the truth, despite the almost absurdist picture this film presents. The hypocrisy is both presented as humorous and terrifying; in the preservation of Lenin’s body they wish to overcome death, while the protagonist’s neighbours are shot without a second glance – they try and achieve immortality in a place where most life seems disposable. A tragicomedy managing to both be truly tense, scary, and at the same time completely ludicrous, what’s possibly most chilling of all is how close to the truth this film is.

Emily Taylor

Aesthetica Shorts UK