Timeout

Timeout (2023) is Vladimir Skvortsov's tragicomedy, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Lyudmila (Natalya Shchukina) works as a social worker, making the rounds of her elderly clients by day. By night she lives a second, invented life — pinned on Gennady Kruglov, a pop singer nobody remembers, whom she messages almost nightly on the Odnoklassniki network.

She's certain there's a real bond between them. She turns up at his concerts in half-empty clubs, shares her dreams and her favorite songs, and recites affirmations to the mirror about a beautiful body, a job she loves, a man who loves her — everything her actual life doesn't hold. Meanwhile her workplace rolls out paid services, and the warm, human care for the old folks hardens into cold efficiency.

The film walks the line between funny and bitter: Lyudmila is easy to laugh at, but the filmmakers would rather you feel for her. Shchukina's performance is the main reason to watch. It's for anyone who likes quiet stories about self-deception and loneliness. Stream Timeout (2023) online on iFILM.