Director Biography
Sofia Vitver, musician, actress, director. In recent years she has been actively involved in inclusion in cinema and theater. In 2021, she filmed her first short film "Another School" about how special children are not accepted into regular schools.
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Donia Mirkatuli
From its very first scene, the film simultaneously conveys two opposing emotions to the viewers: tension and tranquility. The piece Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 by Chopin, which plays over the opening scene, stands in contrast to the close-ups of a man’s pain-stricken face, who is suffering from terrible, unbearable headaches. This interplay of contrasts continues throughout the film: the stillness and serenity of nature juxtaposed with harrowing flashbacks of war; the patience and peaceful demeanor of a woman set against the man’s agitation, aggression, and anxiety. In the following scene, the filmmaker immerses us directly into the world of the film. We learn that the man, Alexander, is a war veteran whose last hope for relief from his never-ending headaches is the Special Doctor clinic, which he repeatedly contacts. Alexander’s home is in a lush, tranquil natural landscape—he needs silence. A kind housekeeper named Lyuba arrives to work for him, tasked not only with maintaining the quiet atmosphere but also with enduring his outbursts of pain and rage. Lyuba describes Alexander as “a strange man who hates life.” His trauma from war is so profound that even the sound of a dog barking terrifies him. When Lyuba enters a room where a large portrait of Vladimir Putin hangs alongside a photograph of Alexander from his time as a soldier, the film cuts to brief but intense flashbacks of war, followed by shots of the woman breaking into tears. These glimpses reveal that she, too, is deeply scarred by war and clings to the hope of finding a skilled doctor who can treat both Alexander and herself.
Eventually, a ten-year-old girl named Dr. Martha—an extraordinary child who claims to have been practicing medicine for six years—appears. With her sincere demeanor and sincere words, she brings about a profound transformation in both Alexander and Lyuba. The man is no longer disturbed by the woman’s loud singing or by the child’s joyful shouts (the only thing Martha leaves behind in Alexander’s house is her microphone—implying that Lyuba can now sing freely again, and loud sounds no longer torment Alexander). Meeting the young girl allows both Alexander and Lyuba to achieve a newfound understanding and maturity. They develop a completely different perspective on life’s struggles, learn to confront their fears, and rediscover the ability to take joy in living.
Sofia Vitver, the film’s director, demonstrates a strong command over her craft and has been actively involved in cinema and theater in recent years. Coming from Kazakhstan, she is not only a filmmaker but also an actress and musician. It is worth noting that Kazakhstan's cinematic history dates back to the Soviet era, when the country served as a hub for producing propaganda films and documentaries for the Soviet government. The first feature-length film produced in Kazakhstan was Amangeldy (1939), and Sergei Eisenstein’s famous film Ivan the Terrible (1943) was also made there. Eisenstein, a pioneering Soviet filmmaker and theorist, was one of the founders of the montage school. Following World War II, Kazakhstan’s film industry expanded, with major studios like Mosfilm establishing branches in various Kazakh cities. This is the cinematic heritage that Sofia Vitver comes from. However, Kazakhstan experienced a new wave of cinema in the 1980s, and over the past two decades, it has gained increasing recognition on the global stage. In 2021, Vitver directed her first short film, A Different School, which explored the integration of exceptional children into regular schools. In her latest film, she once again features an exceptional child—this time in a relatively brief yet highly impactful role. The child's presence is both delightful and transformative, driving the emotional progression of the main characters. Typically, exceptional children are defined as those whose IQ deviates by two standard deviations above or below the norm. However, the exceptional child in this film showcases great talent and ability not for academic or intellectual feats, but simply to teach the two protagonists a different way of looking at life.
The film openly carries an anti-war message. The director’s pacifist perspective is not only evident in the inclusion of Putin’s portrait, the flashbacks to battle, and the profound effects of war on the two protagonists, but also in the use of Chopin’s Nocturne, which adds further depth and meaning. Frédéric Chopin, the Polish-French composer, emigrated to France in his youth. When his homeland, Poland, fell under Russian occupation, he responded to this tragic event—coinciding with the November Uprising against Russian rule—by composing the Revolutionary Étude. Similarly, Kazakhstan, Vitver’s birthplace, was under Russian control before becoming a Soviet republic, only achieving independence in 1991. Her choice of a Chopin piece may symbolically reflect a shared emotional connection between two artists from different eras and lands. Chopin’s Nocturne recurs throughout the film, a tranquil piano composition that evokes the stillness of the night—completely at odds with the protagonist’s restless nature. Yet, this piece may serve as a subtle harbinger of Martha’s arrival and the hopeful moments that follow.
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