Director Anna Matison presented her new comedy Not Childishly at the Window to Europe film festival in Vyborg ahead of its September 3 release. The movie was screened in the festival Autumn Premieres section, reuniting Matison with actor Sergei Bezrukov in a creative team-up that recalls their earlier film Milky Way.
Matison serves as director, screenwriter, and creative producer on the project. Matison and Bezrukov work as ambassadors for a charitable foundation, using the comedic tone of the film to address the painful topic of children left without parental care and to discuss the fragility of happiness.
The story follows Mark Nikolaev, played by Bezrukov, a popular television presenter enjoying fame until he insults Natasha, the winner of the talent show Light Up a Star. Natasha, played by Ekaterina Borgadaeva, is an orphanage resident with a strong personality. Mark's arrogance triggers a public backlash and subjects him to cancel culture, putting his career and lucrative contracts at risk unless he apologizes.
The story introduces Victoria Sergeevna, played by Maria Aronova, a well-known notary and former classmate of Mark who is preparing for her 50th birthday. Her submissive husband, Oleg Maximovich, played by Yuri Tsurilo, fulfills her every whim. Their obedient daughter Lilya, played by Viktoria Agalakova, works on Mark's television team and asks him to record a birthday video for her mother.
Stories of Orphaned Children
Fyodor Dobronravov plays San Sanych, a former class teacher of Mark and Victoria who embodies conscience and continues teaching math lessons on tangents and triangle legs. When the sole guardian grandmother of one of his female students is taken away by ambulance, the young girl is placed in an orphanage. San Sanych inquires about her situation and learns she has a father who must be found urgently.
Pressured by his producer and lover Tanyusha, played by Maria Smolnikova, Mark reluctantly accepts adult responsibilities. His actions lead to a sequence of good deeds for children, turning him into a bandage that binds together three separate storylines involving the difficult fates of children and adults.
Social Issues and Statistics
The film highlights real struggles faced by children without parental care. Lilya, who volunteers at a children's home, faces rejection when she attempts to adopt a young boy from Kazakhstan. Statistics shown in relation to adult irresponsibility reveal that over 90 percent of children living in orphanages have living direct relatives.
The narrative also portrays Natasha as a trusting orphanage graduate who falls into trouble. The film attributes her difficulties to a lack of socialization and an absence of support mechanisms across different administrative levels.
Optimism and Message
Matison depicts selfish adults who make mistakes and struggle with pride, but are transformed through life experiences rather than pure drama. The movie draws a subtle comparison to David Wark Griffith's silent movie Intolerance, questioning whether modern indifference toward the struggles of others borders on intolerance itself.
The production presents the simple conclusion that everyone needs a family. Described as an educational and audience-friendly family film, it aims to share warmth and hope beyond cinema auditoriums.
