Goncharov is an internet meme surrounding a nonexistent 1973 gangster film of the same name. Goncharov was imagined by users on Tumblr as a joke, often with the tagline "The greatest mafia movie ever made". It is usually described as a mafia film set in Naples, with the involvement of movie director Martin Scorsese. Those discussing the film have devised a fictionalized cast list that includes Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Cazale, Gene Hackman, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel.
Goncharov initially 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 was reblogged in August 2020 with the joking allusion that Goncharov was a real film; this reblog is generally regarded as the genesis of the meme. The meme went viral in November 2022, after a poster for Goncharov was created and shared online. This sparked an elaborate fiction of its narrative content and production, described in posts on Tumblr and elsewhere as if the film were real. Goncharov has inspired an online fandom, received significant coverage in the media, and garnered responses from notable individuals, including Scorsese, generally playing along with the meme.
Fictitious plot and production history
Although many details are inconsistent due to the collaborative nature of its conception, Goncharov is generally described as a mafia film, produced in 1973. In the metafictional narrative of the film's existence, it is generally imagined that it had a troubled production and ultimately never received a proper release, thus becoming a lost film. This serves as an explanation for its supposed obscurity.
Set in Naples in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it is said to star Robert De Niro in the role of the protagonist, Lo Straniero, also known as Goncharov, who is a Russian hitman and former discotheque manager. The narrative includes a love triangle subplot involving Goncharov, his wife Katya (said to be portrayed by Cybill Shepherd in the film's fictional cast), and his enemy Andrey (Harvey Keitel), whose relationship with Goncharov is described as having homoerotic overtones. Katya similarly absconds from Goncharov to engage in a romantically charged relationship with a woman named Sofia (Sophia Loren); both Goncharov/Andrey and Katya/Sofia are popular ships within Goncharov fandom. Another prominent character is Joseph "Ice Pick Joe" Morelli (John Cazale), an ostensibly psychopathic assassin notorious for his trademark murder weapon of ice picks, whose subplot in Goncharov is said to feature themes of mental illness and childhood trauma. The story additionally features a frequently recurring motif of clocks. One version of the plot outlined by The Washington Post ends with Goncharov's murder after being betrayed, as well as the deaths of most of the other characters.
Fictitious cast and crew
Robert De Niro as Lo Straniero/Goncharov
Cybill Shepherd as Katya Michailov Goncharova
Harvey Keitel as Andrey (or Andrei) "The Banker" Daddano
Gene Hackman as Valery Michailov
John Cazale as Joseph "Ice Pick Joe" Morelli
Sophia Loren as Sofia
Al Pacino as Mario Ambrosini
Lynda Carter as Dancer #2
Patchka the cat
Martin Scorsese, producer or director (role disputed) Matteo JWHJ0715, writer or director (role disputed) Domenico Procacci, producer Roy Walker, set designer Michael Kaplan, costume designer
Origin and development
Goncharov originated when a since-inactive Tumblr user by the name of zootycoon posted a picture of a tag found on a pair of "knockoff boots" which featured details on the nonexistent film Goncharov in place of a brand label, which suggested it was "A film by Matteo JWHJ0715" which was "presented" by Martin Scorsese and included the tagline "The greatest mafia movie ever made". Another user jokingly replied to the post that "this idiot hasn't seen goncharov"; the post was reblogged with the addition of a screenshot of the comment by user Aveline McEntire in August 2020. McEntire's reblog is commonly credited as the origin of the meme. Tumblr user Michael Littrell, investigating the origin of the boots, discovered the tag has similarities to a poster for the 2008 film Gomorrah, directed by Matteo Garrone and presented by Scorsese. In Goncharov metafiction, users have inconsistently described the film as being directed by either Matteo JWHJ0715 or Scorsese.