Sanding Dreams

What it’s about

Pasha, 19, studies rocket engineering in St. Petersburg, where his teachers see great promise. A telegram about his father's death pulls him back to Shoyna, a remote village where houses sink into sand. There he must support his mother and younger brother. When a rocket from the cosmodrome falls on their house and injures his mother, Pasha decides to move the family home to higher ground, away from the sand and with a view of the sea.

What hooks you

Mark Eydelshteyn plays Pasha, with Darya Ekamasova as his mother. The film was directed by Anton Mamykin, who also wrote the screenplay. It is a drama grounded in a specific place: Shoyna, where sand constantly threatens the houses.

Who it’s for

It is a good pick for those who like quiet, character-driven stories about family ties and personal ambition, set in an unusual landscape that shapes daily life.