Filmmaker Statement

As a Russian refugee in America who experienced the rise of authoritarianism and had to leave Russia in 2019, I wanted to warn everyone living in democratic countries about the fragility of democracy and to raise the vital question of whether there is our fault as Russian citizens in the victory of authoritarianism and its catastrophic consequences. This film was written on the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and became my weird way of coping with the painful reality. When no rational explanation can be found for such devastating actions, an artistic brain creates a fantastic story like in our film.