A birthday party where the only adult is six years old.
A mother and her six-year-old daughter come to her ex-husband's birthday party, with whom she broke up several months ago. Their former mutual friends are there, as well as Dad's new woman, whom Mom sees for the first time. The adults skillfully pretend to celebrate, trying in different ways to hide their feelings and not talk about the main thing. Mom feels uncomfortable, drinks wine that she doesn't like, with people she doesn't like, in a place she hates. Dad's new woman takes the floor and announces news to everyone, after which Mom can no longer control herself. Everyone is ready for a performance... And the child turns out to be the most adult person at this table.
Acting
Child actor outperforms every adult at the table.
Direction
Kaletskaya squeezes a feature's tension into sixteen minutes.
Writing
Dialogue so passive-aggressive it should come with subtitles.
Director
Marina Kaletskaya
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Russian indie cinema has exploded with divorce dramas post-2022, reflecting societal shifts in family structures.
The 16-minute runtime mirrors a feature's three-act structure compressed — the birthday toast functions as both inciting incident and climax.
RU
