The Internet has recently become fascinated with Goncharov, a film that does not exist. Through memetic mutation, the film has its plot, casting, and even a director: Martin Scorsese. Even Martin Scorsese remembers making it, or at least that's what he told his daughter, Francesca Scorsese.
Goncharov is reputedly a 1973 thriller movie starring Robert De Niro as the titular Goncharov, a Russian hitman and former discothèque owner. He moves to Naples, Italy, with his wife (apparently portrayed by Cybill Shepherd), where the two become embroiled in a love triangle with a character portrayed by Al Pacino. According to internet lore, Gene Hackman and Harvey Keitel are also starring.
Francesca Scorsese recently took to TikTok to share an anecdote about the film. In an accompanying video, a man questions whether Martin Scorsese had heard of the online sensation. Silently contemplating the video, Francesca decided to send her father a New York Times article about the film, asking him, "Did u see this?" Scorsese then replies to his daughter, "Yes. I made that film years ago."
In the New York Times article, it's clarified that Goncharov came to be when an account on Tumblr claimed to have received an advertisement for the project bearing the banner "Martin Scorsese Presents." Fans ran with the joke and started adding bits and pieces of lore to it, claiming that the film contained "murder, a love triangle, homoerotic undertones, a striking original score and a dramatic final scene that film buffs have been debating for years." As it turns out, the advertisement was likely a misspelled promotion for a film Scorsese attached his name to for promotional purposes, 2008's Gomorrah.
It's unclear if Scorsese was referring to Gomorrah when talking to his daughter, assuming he made the movie, or if he was playing along with the joke. It's fun to imagine that he assumed he made the film based on a cursory glance. After all, Scorsese may be one of the greatest living moviemakers, but he's also a father who may have absentmindedly skimmed over a text from his daughter. Who can't relate to that?
Whatever the case, it shows how enduring Scorsese's legacy is if even a fake, nearly 50-year-old film of his can find relevance among younger generations. Scorsese has a signature style that has inspired many modern films, and it's clear that the internet is aping this when 'designing' Goncharov. The film feels real and easy to visualize because so much of Scorsese's work is iconic.
Source: Francesca Scorsese/TikTok, New York Times