The film, adapted from a script by Kyiv playwright Oleksandr Steshenko, who has Down syndrome, critiques society’s norms through the lens of Ukrainian and Russian family dramas. Steshenko, active with Kyiv’s Parostky Theatre, uses TV drama conventions in his play “In Memory of Antonina Nikolayevna on Lost Love” to expose societal dysfunction. The film retains Steshenko’s unique language and employs soap opera aesthetics, including local TV stars, to convey estrangement, portraying society as a chaotic conflict.
