Zapomnite ikh litsa: A somber look at memory and loss

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that make you feel like you’re sitting in a cold, empty room at 3:00 AM, then yes, absolutely. If you want a fun Friday night flick, look elsewhere. You will probably hate this if you need constant movement or a plot that ties everything up in a neat little bow by the final credits.

T. Sokolovskaya is doing some really heavy lifting here. There’s a scene where she’s just staring at a tea kettle, and I swear she conveys more pain in that silence than most actors do in a ten-minute monologue. It’s quiet. So quiet you can hear the film grain moving. 🎞️

The pacing is… well, it’s not exactly racing. It feels like the director decided that if a scene could be uncomfortable for thirty seconds, it should definitely be stretched to a full minute. Sometimes it works. Sometimes I found myself checking to see if my Wi-Fi had cut out because the image stayed static for so long.

It reminded me a bit of the suffocating weight you find in Who Shall Take My Life?, where the atmosphere does all the talking while the characters just kind of drift through the frame. There’s no big 'Aha!' moment, just a long, slow realization that these people are never going to be happy again.

Odd bits and pieces:

• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly murky. Half the time I couldn't tell if it was meant to be dawn or dusk.
• There’s a stray cat that shows up in three different scenes, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best actor in the film.
• The dialogue is sparse. Like, 'if they can say it in one word, they’ll use none' kind of sparse.
• That one long shot of the hallway? It goes on for about 40 seconds too long, and honestly, I kinda respected the audacity of it.

It lacks the manic, unpredictable energy of something like The Mysterious Mystery!, but that’s not really the point. It’s a movie that demands you stop fidgeting and actually pay attention to the shadows on the wall.

I don't think it’s a masterpiece or anything. It’s just… a film that exists in its own sad little bubble. 🌫️

Some moments hit hard, like a brick to the stomach, and others just feel like they’re waiting for something to happen that never actually arrives. Maybe that's the point? Maybe it’s just about the waiting. I don't know. I’m still thinking about that kettle scene.