Elena (Nadezhda Markina) finally clawed her way out of poverty by marrying a wealthy man – but happiness remains tantalizingly outside her reach. Now she’s a quiet and submissive sixty-something grandmother, rattling around inside a gilded cage, trapped in a loveless, icy and faltering marriage. Their Moscow city apartment may be plush and luxurious, but Vladimir holds the purse-strings tight. Elena’s hopes of finally helping her son and grandchildren out of the slums are unforeseeably crushed, and she comes up with a desperate – almost unthinkable – plan.
This noir thriller is a riveting trip deep into the darker side of human nature, examining just what it takes to fray and sever the ties that bind.
Friday 18th August
109 min
15+
Film Festival