Closeness

Ilana (Darya Zhovner), called Ila, works in her father's garage in Nalchik in 1998 and wants a life that reaches past her Jewish family and the town. Then her brother and his bride vanish, and a ransom note arrives asking for more than the Kofts own. Kantemir Balagov, in his first feature, keeps the camera tight on faces and cramped rooms, so the family's closeness feels like a weight.