CHERRY KOMPOT is a short film that follows Lev, a stubborn Jewish-Ukrainian senior, who refuses to sit shiva in the wake of his wife, Sonia’s, death.

 

When his family invite guests for shiva behind his back, he is furious. After all, he sees no need to mourn when, to him, Sonia is not gone, instead she haunts him at every turn.  As he desperately tries to rid himself of Sonia's ghost over the course of the afternoon, his growing hysteria ends up driving all the guests away. Only then is he forced to confront his truest fear: to find himself alone in this time of grief.

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CHERRY KOMPOT is based on Jewish Ukrainian writer, Camille Tsalik’s own personal story of her grandparents. Tsalik shares: 

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“My grandmother, Baba, passed away during the early months of the pandemic. Not being able to mourn with my family, I wrote this script, not knowing that Ukraine, my grandparents’ homeland, would soon be invaded. I thought about my grandfather, my Deda, experiencing one loss after the other: first his wife and then his homeland. What was originally a simple reflection on my Baba’s powerful legacy became so much more. My Baba may no longer be here in her physical form, but her presence is embodied by those who refuse to be silenced. So, while I can’t make the bold claim of offering a solution or path forward, I can only hope this film provides the Jewish-Ukrainian diaspora with a space to grieve, and maybe even laugh, together.”

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The film premiered at AFI Fest and was awarded Best Short Film in the Eastern Europe Film Festival and Best Student Comedy Short in the London Independent Film Awards.

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Link to full film available upon request.