Two boys are shocked when their father (Konstantin Lavronenko) returns after a 12-year absence. The elder, Andrei (Vladimir Garin), is cautiously willing, but the younger brother, Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov), is immediately suspicious that the father is actually going to harm them. He takes the boys on a fishing trip to a remote island, won't answer questions about his past or what they're really doing, makes demands, intimidates, neglects, and punishes with both psychological and physical abuse. But is there something sinister happening or is he just a shitty dad?
So this was A Lot to take in roughly 1 hr 45 min. The film is not interested in answers or resolutions as much as it is ramping up the tension about what might happen. It's like a weird Russian Stand by Me or maybe the Anti-Goonies. The director went on to make the Oscar-nominated Leviathan and Loveless so this is clearly working out for him. I'm not a big fan of Russian films based on what I've seen, but if you are, you are shit out of luck. It's only available for streaming via rental from Amazon or Vudu, but it's only $2.
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