Eternal

Son lives with his father in an old flat with an endless number of rooms and corridors. The grandfather died, but his corpse lies on the sofa in the living room. Guests come to the apartment sometimes for whom the father prepares in different ways and sets the boy up to the same attitude towards the guests. Every day, the father leaves no one knows where, and the boy remains alone and wanders through the corridors of the flat. On one of these walks, a boy hears subdued screams - they come from a room with an iron door. When he tries to see what's happening there through the peephole, his father appears. Son tries to escape but then faces another terror along the way. The boy seeks to find a way out, but his father suppresses all attempts. "Eternal" is an author film about the problems of a big state transferred to a small, strange family. By design, the film is a reasonably pessimistic metaphor for modern Russia.

Directed by Ivan Shalaev, Eternal leans on a strong ensemble — Ilya Dodonov, Vladimir Dorondov, Eugenijus Guntulionis — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2021.