Vardan Hakobyan's film "Platon" has been well-received by audiences at this year's "Golden Apricot" film festival. The film's main hero with the same name is played by Pavel Volya. He is from Moscow's elite and feels as comfortable as a fish in water in the big city of Moscow. Plato is quite successful at everything he does and as the character himself says - I offer love and happiness to people. Platon is a well-to-do pimp who caters exclusively to upper-crust clients; this opportunistic loser has built his world on pretense by recruiting one woman after another into the "industry," and deliberately and cruelly manipulating their expectations in the process. His life turns an unusual and altogether unexpected corner, however, when he meets Lyuba (Elizabeth Lotova), a young woman employed in a top-tiered Moscow boutique, who objects to the two-dimensional values of her customers. Platon instantly falls for her, but in an unusual way - on a much deeper level than his attraction to the majority of his streetwalker employees. He finds himself conflicted, however, for he has actually entered the boutique with the stated objective of setting Lyuba up with his regular client, Abdul. (Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide)

Cast

Director Vardan Hakobyan says it was a pleasure to work with the entire cast and crew during the shooting of the film but that he was especially amazed by Arto Tuncboyacian, who wrote the music for the film. Hakobyan says that the film's producer, Gevorg Nersisyan, suggested that he get in touch with Tuncboyacian. "I knew Arto but couldn't see how his music would dovetail with such a typical Moscow backdrop. I tried working with other composers but was quite repulsed by their standard "elevator music" and hackneyed melodies. All their music reflected the film's content but I needed a score that would augment the film." In the end, Vardan agreed to seek out Tuncboyacian's assistance. "He was quite busy but promised to make the time. We watched the film together and I translated for him. When we were done he told me - either I write the music for the entire film or I write nothing at all. I haven't regretted letting him compose the entire score. By working with him, I understood that he could do everything. The stuff he plays with the Armenian Navy Band is just a quarter of his abilities," the director says. Vardan Hakobyan confesses that he learnt a lot from working with Arto Tuncboyacian. "We were all amazed that Arto composes music using pencil and paper. Today, most composers sit in front of a computer. When I asked Arto if he could send me a few lines of the score to me via the internet he replied – ‘I don't work with a computer. They give off a squeaky Mickey Mouse sound’."