To Paris!

The film is set in the 1960s, in a remote provincial town. Ivan is a model worker, a lathe operator at a factory, raising his son Alexei alone. Problems arise in the family: Ivan's beloved wife has a huge debt and faces prison. And Alexei is humiliated by hooligans in front of his beloved girlfriend. His father finds an unusual way out of these situations: he makes a gun himself (so that Leshka can take revenge on the hooligans), then goes with his son to rob a cafe to help Masha cover the shortfall. Gradually, Alexei gets a taste for it; he likes having power over people and commits his first murder. Suddenly, Ivan realizes that he has raised a killer with his own hands.

Directed by Sergei Krutin, To Paris! leans on a strong ensemble — Yuri Stepanov, Yaroslav Zhalnin, Polina Kutepova — 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 drama titles of 2008.