This book is a comprehensive study of successful Russian films that have worked for decades to reinforce the ideology of the Putin regime. Many of them you have probably seen and even loved. But what values do these films convey? How do they teach us to view the past, and what myths do they create? Why are national heroes in Russia like Danila Bagrov and Sasha Bely? And why are the comedies so xenophobic?

Anton Dolin writes about nostalgia for the USSR, the cult of violence, patriarchy, the friendship between "cops" and bandits, homophobia, and much more that is present in "bad Russian" cinema.