#horribly funny / comedy / male friendship / fishing / decapitation / violence / marriage problems / revenge / numerous injuries / blood / cabin in the woods / inflatable dolls / humour /

SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT

black comedy / Kazakhstan / 2020 / 1h 24m

Swim against the tide or sleep with the fishes!

The stress of becoming a father, an insufferable shrew of a wife, overdue loan payments, constant nagging, mummy’s complaints about a lack of fondness, and a pinch of regular malicious bad luck – Dastan is sick of it! He decides to drop everything and go fishing with his two scatterbrained buddies. Loose shirts, a six-pack of warm beer from a roadside gas station, and a car stuffed with faulty sex toys guarantee great fun! But instead of lazily casting floats all weekend – the characters find themselves in a kettle of fish. Not only do the dimwits start hurting themselves with fishing hooks, but they also witness a brutal murder. Of course, the group of caught-in-the-act gangsters wants to silence them immediately. Dastan and his buddies have to flee and fight for survival (but first, Murat needs to finally scramble out of a raft made of inflatable dolls!). But that’s not all… They are also followed by a silent murderer who wants to avenge his pooch’s death!

From behind the camera, Yernar Nurgaliyev (along with five supporting screenwriters) has created a pleasantly twisted and charmingly barmy dose of entertainment! The Kazakh approach to black comedy includes casual tinkering with all kinds of humor, spicing it up with some bloody gore, and sprinkling in the disarming clumsiness of the main characters. The film includes everything but the kitchen sink: from unexpected deaths, through slapstick jokes and amusing dialogue, to the comic expression of the characters. The authors juggle gags and jokes with natural lightness while avoiding repeating the same tricks. All of this is topped off with a well-measured dose of violence and the occasional hint of bloody gore! Unceremonious jibes aimed not only at formulaic horror films but also at high-budget American blockbusters only add to the charm of the Kazakh production. You can’t help but take this bait!

Splat! suggests: Of course, you can take a van loaded with faulty sex gadgets when you go fishing. Just keep in mind: who will come to your aid when you inevitably get stuck in a remote cabin with a psychopathic one-eyed murderer? Your faithful friends or a group of saggy inflatable dolls? 

directed by: Yernar Nurgaliyev
screenplay: Zhandos Aibassov, Yernar Nurgaliyev, Daniyar Soltanbayev, Il’yas Toleu, Anuar Turizhigitov, Alisher Utev
starring: Daniar Alshinov, Erlan Primbetov, Azamat Marklenov, Asel Kaliyeva, Rustem Zhaniyamanov
cinematography: Azamat Dulatov
editing: Yernar Nurgaliyev
music: Nazarbek Orazbekov
languages: Russian, Kazakh
subtitles: Polish

WORLD PREMIERE: Warsaw Film Festival 2020

Age restriction: 18+