Johnny

Johnny (Джонни, 2023) is a Russian musical comedy you can watch online on iFILM. The late 1980s are falling apart around a young rock musician who wants one thing only — to play his own songs and answer to nobody.

That modest goal turns out to be the hard road. He runs into empty pockets, other people's rules, and the easy bargain of trading his principles for a quick payday. Staying true to himself means walking away from money and fame, and the film is honest about the price of that. Nikolay Fomenko and Andrey Didik fill out the cast.

Director Alexei Rybin played in the legendary bands Kino and Sekret, so the Leningrad rock scene here comes from memory, not research — which is why the irony never feels staged. A good pick if you miss the spirit of late-Soviet rock. Stream Johnny (2023) online on iFILM.