On the edge of a crumbling city, 11-year-old Alexander lives in a sequestered commune alongside other children, their mothers, and charismatic leader, Gregori. Gregori teaches the children how to raise livestock, grow vegetables, work as a community - and how to kill. With the birth of a new baby brother weighing on his mind, Alexander begins to question Gregori’s overpowering influence on the children and their training to become assassins. Threatened by his increasing unwillingness to fall in line, Gregori’s behavior turns erratic and adversarial toward the child he once considered a son. With the two set dangerously at odds and the commune’s way of life disintegrating, the residents fear a violent resolution is at hand.
Acting
Cassel's terrifying warmth—would die for this man, literally.
Direction
Kleiman's debut controls dread like a seasoned pro.
Cinematography
Commune as paradise-prison, all soft light and rot.
Director
Ariel Kleiman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kleiman expanded this from his award-winning short film 'Deeper Than Yesterday'—shot in the same decaying Georgian industrial zone.
The film deliberately never explains Gregori's backstory or funding, forcing you to experience the children's limited perspective—you know only what they know.
AU
US
