Kokoko

Kokoko (2012) is a sharp Russian tragicomedy from director Avdotya Smirnova that you can watch online on iFILM. Two women who could not be more different meet by chance on a train, and after a shared misfortune decide to share an apartment — a friendship that quietly becomes a portrait of modern Russia.

Liza works at an ethnography museum, reads the right books and sincerely believes she is open-minded. Vika comes from the provinces, and a vacation in Petersburg means vodka, parties and reckless fun. At first the two are drawn together like water and fire. But the longer they live under one roof, the clearer it gets that the intelligentsia's fondness for "ordinary people" cracks fast once those people move into your kitchen.

Anna Mikhalkova and Yana Troyanova are worth rewatching for the precision with which they catch the awkwardness, resentment and mutual incomprehension. Smirnova refuses to take a side; both women look equally foolish to her. Short, mean and very recognizable, it's a comedy about how two halves of the same country can speak completely different languages. Stream Kokoko (2012) online on iFILM.