Goncharov is anInternet meme surrounding a nonexistent 1973mafia film of the same name.Goncharov was imagined byTumblr users as a joke, often with thetagline "the greatest mafia movie ever made". It is usually described as a mafia film set inNaples, with the involvement of directorMartin Scorsese. Those discussing the film have devised a fictionalized cast includingRobert De Niro,Al Pacino,John Cazale,Gene Hackman,Cybill Shepherd andHarvey Keitel.
Goncharov originated when a Tumblr user posted a picture of a pair of "knockoff boots" that featured details suggesting the film's existence in place of a brand label. This post wasreblogged in August 2020 with a joking allusion thatGoncharov was a real film; this is generally regarded as the genesis of the meme. The memewent viral in November 2022 after a poster forGoncharov was created and shared online. This sparked an elaborate fiction of its narrative content and production, described in posts on Tumblr and elsewhere as though the film were real.Goncharov has inspired an onlinefandom, received significant coverage in the media, and garnered responses from notable individuals, including eventually Scorsese himself, generally playing along with the meme.
| Goncharov | |
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 Poster by artist Alex Korotchuk; often credited with kickstartingGoncharov's popularity and providing inspiration for its fiction[2] | |
| Russian | Гончаров |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | Matteo JWHJ0715[2] |
| Produced by | Domenico Procacci[4] |
| Starring | |
Release date | 1973 (supposedly suppressed from release)[3][1] |
Although many details are inconsistent due to the collaborative nature of its conception,Goncharov is generally described as a mafia film produced in 1973.[3][5][6] In themetafictional narrative of the film's existence, it is generally imagined that it had a troubled production and never received a proper release.Goncharov ostensibly becoming alost film serves as an explanation for its supposed obscurity.[3][1][7][5]
Set inNaples in the aftermath of thedissolution of the Soviet Union,Goncharov is said to starRobert De Niro as protagonist Lo Straniero/Goncharov, a Russianhitman and formernightclub manager.[1][2] The narrative includes alove triangle involving Goncharov, his wife Katya (Cybill Shepherd), and his enemy Andrey (Harvey Keitel),[8] whose relationship with Goncharov is described as havinghomoerotic overtones.[9][1][10][3] Katya similarly has an affair with Sofia (Sophia Loren);[9][3][2] both Goncharov/Andrey and Katya/Sofia are popularships withinGoncharov's fandom.[6][3][10] Another prominent character is Joseph "Ice Pick Joe" Morelli (John Cazale), an ostensiblypsychopathic assassin known for usingice picks, whose subplot inGoncharov is said to feature themes of mental illness and childhood trauma.[7][1][6][11] The film apparently features a recurringmotif of clocks.[3][1][9] One version of the plot outlined byThe Washington Post ends with Goncharov betrayed and murdered, as well as the deaths of most of the other characters.[8]
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Goncharov originated "several years" before November 2022 when now-inactive[10] Tumblr user zootycoon[3] posted a picture of a tag found on a pair of "knockoff boots" which featured details on the nonexistent filmGoncharov in place of a brand label. The label described "A film by Matteo JWHJ0715 about theNaples mafia" which was "presented" byMartin Scorsese, with thetagline "the greatest mafia movie ever made".[3][10] Another user jokingly replied to the post that "this idiot hasn't seen goncharov"; the post wasreblogged with the addition of a screenshot of the comment by user Aveline McEntire in August 2020.[10][13] McEntire's reblog is commonly credited as the origin of the meme.[3][10][13] Tumblr user Michael Littrell, investigating the origin of the boots, discovered that the tag had similarities to a poster forGomorrah, a 2008 film about organized crime in Naples directed byMatteo Garrone and presented by Scorsese.[10] InGoncharov's metafiction, users have inconsistently described the film as being directed by either Matteo JWHJ0715 or Scorsese.[3]
Goncharov picked up traction again in late November 2022 when Alex Korotchuk, aPrague-based artist, created a poster for the film that featured a lineup of actors, character names, and crew members, and posted it to Tumblr on November 18.[10] Korotchuk's posterwent viral and inspired an elaborate fiction of the film's existence, based on the details it established.[1][5][2][14][13] Discussion of the film involved detailed critical analysis of the plot, themes, symbolism, and characters, as well as creation of gifs, fan art and erotic fan fiction,[5] all presented as if the film were real.[1] At least thirty people collaborated to compose theme music.[12] ALetterboxd page was created, and several "reviews" forGoncharov were posted there, which were subsequently removed from the platform.[10][15][13] A publicGoogle Document was created to collect and coordinate the various plot and metafictional elements that had developed about the film.[1] Fan fiction siteArchive of Our Own had over 500 entries forGoncharov as of 24 November 2022[update].[16][13] On 25 November 2022, agame jam ofGoncharov was run by Autumn Chen onitch.io,[16] inspired by the invention of a nonexistent videogametie-in.[12]
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By late November 2022,Goncharov had been reported on internationally in mainstream media.[17]The New York Times reported thatGoncharov had become the top trending topic on Tumblr, and Scorsese was the second most popular topic.[10][18][3] Some writers correlated the popularity ofGoncharov withElon Musk's purchase of Twitter, after which many users had opted to abandon the platform in favor of Tumblr.[19][3][15] Kelsey Weekman ofBuzzFeed citedGoncharov as "evidence of the unique power of Tumblr's creative, collaborative minds".[11] Eve Edwards ofThe Focus described the meme as an attempt to induce theMandela effect.[4] Linda Codega ofGizmodo remarked on the enthusiasm around the meme as "an inspiring example of collective storytelling and spontaneous fandom generation, inspired by the community itself. Essentially,Goncharov (1973) is not a film, but a game. And only Tumblr knows the rules, because the rules ofGoncharov (1973) are the rules of Tumblr itself."[2] Caitlin Quinlan, writing forEmpire, noted that the meme had "enough material for an entire franchise thanks to its creative devotees" and expressed the hope thatGoncharov "could one day become more of a reality".[12]
The Daily Fix cited Tumblr user David J Prokopetz's analysis as pinpointing its appeal: "TheGoncharov meme isn't so much impenetrable to outsiders as it is indistinguishable from business as usual.Goncharovshitposts sound exactly like how film nerds actually sound when discussing a real film which they have not seen, but do not wish to admit they have not seen, so from the uninvolved perspective nothing has changed."[18] Speaking toVice about the meme, Tumblr user do-you-have-a-flag describedGoncharov as an extension of the platform's "'yes, and...' culture", where users often expand on each other's posts via the platform's reblog function to collaboratively create unexpected narratives and conversations.[20] Jamie Cohen, a professor of media studies at Queens College of theCity University of New York, agreed that Tumblr's "threaded, stacked replies where people build off each other" made it a "perfect space for this to go viral".[8]
The meme ofGoncharov was acknowledged positively by Tumblr, whose Twitter account stated that the nonexistent film was "ahead of its time".[10]Lynda Carter, one of the film's fictionalized cast members, similarly played along with her imagined role in the film in a Tumblr post.[10][13]Ryan Reynolds, less than a month after joining Tumblr,[21] also made a post about his "favorite line" from the film.[15] AuthorNeil Gaiman, in response to users submitting questions aboutGoncharov to hisTumblr inbox, expressed disapproval and urged them to desist.[22][23] On 25 November 2022, Scorsese's daughter posted a video onTikTok of a text exchange with her father in which she sharedThe New York Times' article onGoncharov and asked if he had seen it; he replied, "Yes. I made that film years ago."[14]
Ryan Reynolds posted about his favoriteGoncharov line on his new Tumblr account.[italics original]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Blake Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, quietly joined Tumblr on Tuesday
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