MIFF NOTES: The Hope Factory (2014, Dir. Natalya Meshchaninova)

Sveta lives in a factory town in Northern Russia. She doesn't want to. Her friends are content with their lot. They spend their days wrapping themselves in northern pride and drinking themselves into oblivion.

Sveta wants out. Her parents have just bought her a flat. Things for Sveta are pretty depressing.

Things for the audience are pretty depressing.

The Hope Factory fits comfortably into the generic festival fare slot. Natalya Meshchaninova's direction is assured, her cast are roundly well-matched to their roles, there is enough drama to meander through one and a half hours without too much trouble but in the end nothing much sticks.

It'll resonate with anyone who's had to grow up in a backwater town, but the festival circuit is stocked to the brim with such titles.

Visit Russia.

★★☆

Trailer:

Disclaimer: Due to excessive work and excessive film going, MIFF posts are going to be pretty sketchy this year. I'll come back to some of the better ones and write them up proper-like if the mood takes.