Autumn of the Patriarch
The film follows three women in modern Russia as they search for ways to survive, revealing how war and state violence seep into everyday life and gradually erode the country from within.
Russian society is not divided into clear camps of resistance and support. Most lives unfold in a grey zone, shaped by fear, habit, personal ambition, the need to belong, and the basic necessity of surviving and providing for one’s family.
As the state enters more deeply into private life, the boundary between personal choice and political reality begins to disappear.
The film follows three women, exploring how war and political repression reshape everyday existence.
Lena is a lesbian punk singer. Through underground concerts, she creates brief spaces of freedom. At the same time, she is sinking into exhaustion and depression.
Alena runs a small business in a town in the Urals. She becomes the leader of a volunteer movement supporting the Russian army in Ukraine. Her loyalty to the system gradually brings her social status and personal success.
Julia is an independent photojournalist documenting the country’s transformation. She tries to remain honest and open in a reality ruled by fear.
Their lives unfold in parallel. Each woman finds her own way to survive - through resistance, work, or loyalty to the system. But each is ultimately left alone with her choices.
Loneliness lies at the heart of dictatorship. It reaches everyone, but no one is more alone than the dictator himself.
The title, Autumn of the Patriarch, refers to Gabriel García Márquez’s novel, described as “a poem on the solitude of power.” It also speaks to our own time, in which patriarchal power and war are deeply intertwined.
In the film, this “autumn” becomes a metaphor for a society slowly eroding from within. At its core, the film tries to capture what remains human in its protagonists - something that dictatorship, patriarchy, and war cannot destroy.
Fragile but persistent, it carries the possibility of hope.
Technical Specifications
Year 2026
Length 71 min
Original title Autumn of the Patriarch
Language Russian
Production company Piraya Film, Vincent productions, Nukleus Film, Real Lava
Production country Norway, Germany, Croatia, Denmark
Sales/Distribution
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Awards & nominations
2026
Festivals
2026