For every serious reading of the film, there’s an equally cheeky bit of lore added. Goncharov’s direction has been credited to Matteo JWHJ 0715, the son of “an Italian ”, as straight-faced Tumblr users explain. This dedication to the in-joke is a uniquely Tumblr trait — in 2013, users were bombarded with thousands of images of Supernatural actor Misha Collins’ face photoshopped into various settings in an event called the Mishapocalypse — but it’s also a phenomenon that goes much further, cementing how the act of fandom isn’t one of passive consumption but also active participation, in creating fanfic and fanart, in joining a community bound by shared interests.
For many creators, Goncharov is a means of gaining a sense of ownership, the idea that instead of creating fanart and fanfiction simply based on an existing property or ‘canon’, they’re now the ones in complete control of how the main story unfolds. “People have made masterposts for the information gathered, which makes it easier for people to add onto the lore of Goncharov together while not changing anything someone has already established,” says Miles. “Gradually, we watch the plot unfold through quotes and essays and art that embellishes and elaborates on itself like a snowball rolling down a hill.”
If this is the greatest mafia movie ever made, then it stands to reason that Goncharov as a whole cannot exist, its perfection unattainable, its allure stemming from how creators have embraced the gaps instead of working to close them. As its lore continues to , however, there’s something beautiful about the proliferation of this entirely fanmade work, the love and care that’s been put into it, the careful consideration of an auteur’s filmography and all this joyous celebration centered around this, the greatest mafia movie never made.
