Nine Days and One Morning

Parisian model Anna Kruglova has returned to the remote Russian town of her birth for NINE DAYS AND ONE MORNING. As a goodwill ambassador for a cosmetics company, Anna plans to inspire the town’s children to greatness, while also promoting her sponsor’s new product in the Russian market. But revisiting her destitute birthplace rouses memories in Anna that have long been suppressed. Prior to being adopted by French parents and relocating to Paris, Anna spent her youth in an orphanage where functional toilets were considered a luxury. Now her chic clothes and glamorous profession are the envy of the entire town. And seemingly everyone –including the mayor, Anna’s former caretaker Aunt Lena, a young orphan named Lusia, and a gruff stranger named Lyuba – is desperate for Anna’s help. Director Vera Storozheva artfully depicts one woman’s emotional encounter with the troubled life she left behind. (In Russian and French with subtitles) – E.B.