“Billy Elliot”
What’s a father to do when the country is in the throes of a financial crisis, paychecks haven’t been paid in a long time, and his sons and elderly mother, who need constant care, are waiting at home? The list of chores is long, but Billy’s dad handled it perfectly: he provided for the entire family, whom he saw only once a day—before going to bed to head back to the mines the next day. The man simply had no energy left for cozy family gatherings, and he couldn’t even stop to listen to his children and talk with them about what was consuming them. And what was consuming them was serious: the eldest wanted to stop the tyranny and organize a workers’ strike, while the youngest quietly skipped boxing classes and slipped away to ballet class. He was drawn to the art of dance, which simply didn’t fit with his status as an ordinary boy from a poor neighborhood. Upon learning this secret, the father is initially stunned, but then comes to the realization that his children’s happiness is paramount. So he takes all the money and sets off with the young dancer to London—to the best ballet school, where only truly gifted children can get in.
Captain Fantastic
Ben accomplished a great feat—together with his wife, he raised six children who love to learn, know how to survive in the wild, and value family above all else. They have no interest in any of the “charms” of capitalism: they grew up in the forest, where there were no stores, no internet, no Coca-Cola and French fries. As completely free people, the heroes lived happily until one terrible day, their loving mother abandoned them. Her passing was unexpected, as was the “message” from her parents: they asked Ben and the children to come to honor Leslie’s memory and bond—it had been so long since they’d seen each other. Reluctantly, Ben sets out on a journey to civilization, where he will show his descendants another world, one they’ve only read about in books. Together, they will face incredible challenges: they will have to not only defend their principles but also completely rethink their own worldview, asking themselves the question: what is freedom? They will be misunderstood by those around them and even by each other, and only one thing will save them from a complete family split – the true love of their loved ones.
“Cybervillage”
While Nikolai and Robogozin are having fun in an intergalactic road movie, his wife and children are looking after the household, programming robot assistants and making sure that their family farm on Mars is not occupied by invaders from Izhevsk Dynamics – they are just itching to build factories on the lands of honest villagers. Nadya and her daughters spent the entire first season in such preoccupation, with no new planets or seaside vacations in sight. Then, a miracle happened: in the new episodes released on Kinopoisk, things got even worse. Her husband ended up in the comfortable space prison “Venerovsky Central,” and they set up a family business at a nearby café: they feed the guards, eavesdrop on gossip, and generally keep an eye on the situation. In short, once again, the heaviest burden falls on their shoulders. But this is only the tip of the iceberg: together with Robogozin, who escaped from the clutches of Galya’s hologram, Kolya’s family organizes his incredible rescue, and then, in order to regain his good name, he again enters the fight against the insidious Artificial Intelligence, having put on his native quilted jacket, once again carefully stitched by his loving wife.
“I wish I were here”
In this film, everything also rests on the fragile shoulders of a woman: Sarah works to provide for the family, but her husband is still searching for himself. Aiden is 35 years old, dreams of becoming an actor, and so he spends all his free time—of which he clearly has too much—on auditions, all to no avail. It seems nothing in this world will change Aiden’s life, because he’s generally happy with everything, but suddenly, a cruel twist of fate forces him to reconsider his goals: after learning that his father, suffering from cancer, has gone into remission and can no longer afford to send his beloved grandchildren to school, the man takes an unexpected step. Aiden withdraws his son and daughter’s educational documents and sets about teaching them the most important things himself, namely, how to live. As he embarks on a journey with them that has no specific goal other than to talk about the mundane, the hero finds himself in strange situations and finds equally strange solutions. The children admire their father, in whom they finally see an adult, and it is thanks to them that he becomes a different person – someone who has the courage to take full responsibility.
“Frosted Carp”
Elena Mikhailovna loves her son very much – he is talented, smart and successful, constantly at work, teaches others how to run a business and thinks in numbers. He clearly has no time for the worries of a modest pensioner, Elena Mikhailovna thinks – he has other, greater things to do, from which he should under no circumstances be distracted. So the heroine kept all her problems to herself, never complained about life, and even when the doctor told her about the disappointing diagnosis, she kept this secret behind seven seals. Little did her son know that his mother was already calmly and drama-free preparing for her own funeral—she’d already bought a coffin and casually brought it home on the bus. Incidentally, on top of these important concerns, she’d been given a spontaneous one: by a remarkable coincidence, she’d found herself holding a carp, which, after defrosting, had come back to life as if nothing had happened. Seeing it merrily wiggling its fins in its shell, Elena Mikhailovna realized it was a miracle. So the carp became her silent friend, ready to share all the hardships and, moreover, to solve family problems, because it was he who would swallow the keys to the car of her son, who had come to visit his mother “for a short time.”
“7 Days, 7 Nights”
An incredibly romantic scene: a girl on a plane tries to put her bag on the shelf right above the seat of a pensive man, but it loudly falls into his lap. The man and the woman meet eyes and realize that their “collision” is not accidental. The girl asks: “You?” And the man, surprised, calls her by name. But okay, it’s time to lay all my cards on the table: in fact, they are a married couple with two wonderful children and the threat of divorce. Flying together was definitely not part of their plans: he was going on a business trip, and she was taking the kids on vacation, which, incidentally, was made possible thanks to her resourceful daughter—wanting to keep the family together, she spent all the money she’d received as a gift on trips to Armenia for the whole family. Her father told her fairy tales about this country, and in Armenia, weddings are celebrated for seven days and seven nights—that’s how long, according to the children, their parents should be able to find their lost love. But will adults who have stopped believing in romance be able to do this? That’s a big question, and you can find the answer in this warm comedy from the START platform.
