Zoologija Zoology

A fantastic story about a woman who one day grows a tail, Zoology is a candid narrative about self-reinvention in mature years.

Middle-aged zoo worker Natasha still lives with her mother in a small Russian coastal town. As she struggles for independence, she has to endure the reality of her life filled with gossip spread by the women around her. She is stuck and it seems that life has no surprises for her until one day… she grows a tail. Embarrassed at first, Natasha decides to go further with the transformation and use it as an opportunity to redefine herself as a person. With the new “accessory” she gets access to the life that she has never experienced before – she starts a relationship with a man, she allows herself to be foolish for the first time in her life.

"Today the society that I live in (...) is different from something that was happening even five years ago. People don’t crave their individuality anymore, instead they long for something universal. You need to buy your clothes in the popular stores, go to popular concerts, in your refrigerator there is a pre-set selection of food, the same as in your neighbour’s fridge. (...) For me, this film is a method of fighting reality. I hope that Zoology will truly turn out to be an effective “medicine” against unification and standardization in any society." (Ivan I. Tverdovski)

Ivan I. Tverdovski
Born in 1988, graduated from the Russian Institute for Cinematography in 2011. His early documentary works won him multiple awards in Russia and at international film festivals. His fiction debut Corrections Class won over 35 prizes worldwide. Zoology is his second feature project.