Motor Pool Films.

Starring James R. Stowell as Vlad the Apparatchik and Melissa Pizarro. Comrade Apparatchik is a suspenseful dark comedy following Lev Bandin, a former Soviet naval programmer turned American TV ad broker who retreats to an isolated lakeside cabin. His quiet getaway is interrupted by Kira, an enigmatic violinist claiming to search for her lost dog, leading to an evening of drinking, chess, and cultural reflections. The relaxed atmosphere turns grim by morning when Lev discovers a dead body washed ashore—Kira's abusive partner, whom she fatally shot—culminating in a tense standoff between the pragmatic Russian expat and the armed fugitive.