The Major

Rushing to the hospital where his wife is giving birth, police major Sergey drives too fast and kills a child. He panics and calls his colleagues, and the men who arrive start covering it up at once: the boy's mother is threatened, the report is altered, a witness is sought. Then Sergey wants out, and from that moment he becomes the target himself. Yury Bykov wrote, directed, edited and scored it and played a part in it. The story takes place in one night and there are no locations beyond snow, forest and the station. Its idea is hard: the system's reflex to protect itself is stronger than any individual remorse. It played in Critics' Week at Cannes. Who it is for: viewers who like Russian cinema and hard thrillers about corruption. Who it is not for: anyone avoiding a child's death and sudden violence.