Martin Scorsese is now in on the Goncharov joke

Some have called it one of the greatest mafia films ever made, ahead of its time even — a poignant drama for the ages. Goncharov has become one of the most talked about films on social media as of late, with the 1973 project being hailed as an under-appreciated masterwork by Martin Scorsese. There's just one caveat: It doesn't exist.

The lore around the film began when the image of a knock-off pair of boots with a bizarre logo that read, "Martin Scorsese presents Goncharov," emerged on Tumblr a few years back. Dissatisfied by the real answer to this mystery — Goncharov is a misspelling of 2008's Gomorrah, a very good Italian crime drama Scorsese helped promote — a number of extremely online movie buffs have tried to cultivate a mythos around the fake film.

Fan-made posters, artwork and bits of made-up trivia have also made the rounds, taking the hoax that much further. Fans often refer to specific scenes in which the cast, purported to feature Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, and Al Pacino, are in the midst of a love triangle in Italy while Soviet-era threats loom.

Now, in a sign that Goncharov's spotlight is about to fade, it appears the iconic filmmaker is in on the joke.

On Monday, the 80-year-old's daughter Francesca shared TikTok documenting a text exchange she had with her father in which she alluded to Goncharov. "Did u see this?" she asks, sharing a New York Times piece about the Goncharov phenomenon. "Yes. I made that film years ago," the Oscar winner replies, joining the chorus of Goncharov truthers.

No word yet on what he has to say regarding its sequel, Goncharov II: Katya's Revenge.

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