IDIOTKA
(The 2025 Maryland Film Festival ran November 5-9. Check out Chris Reed’s Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued movie review from the fest! Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Nastasya Popov makes her feature debut with Idiotka, a satire of a number of things and a heartfelt tribute to tight-knit families (and to families who wish they were tight-knit). Though it recycles many tropes of similar narratives, it does so with fresh details and genuine laughs. Starring Anna Baryshnikov (Love Lies Bleeding) as Margarita, a young Russian American woman who auditions for a reality-television fashion competition, the movie makes the most of a small budget to poke big fun at some easy—if deserving—targets.
Margarita (Margusya for short), lives in Los Angeles with her grandmother, father, and brother. They have struggled financially since dad’s prison sentence for Medicare fraud (he’s out now, but without his medical license). Margarita is the main earner, committing fraud of her own by sewing on designer labels to non-designer clothing and selling it online. With the rent six months past due, it’s definitely time for a change.
That new opportunity presents itself in the form of “Slay Serve Survive,” a new series looking for contestants for its pilot run. Margarita is picked when it becomes apparent that her family situation will potentially create some welcome onscreen dramatic tension. But first she has to get the release forms signed by her not-so-willing relatives.
The cast is very game. Beyond Baryshnikov, there is the ever-reliable Mark Ivanir (Kajillionaire) as papa and Galina Jovovich as babushka (grandma), with Nerses Stamos as the eponymous brother. Camila Mendes (Palm Springs) gives a winning turn as the TV show’s producer, and Julia Fox (Uncut Gems) brings over-the-top energy as a fashionista and judge on the show.
Beyond the strong performances, the best parts of the film, in terms of hearty laughs, are the scenes devoted to lampooning the utter vacuousness of much of our modern influencer culture. Characters speak in meaningless platitudes about that of which they know nothing, their unmerited self-importance growing in stature the more they denigrate those around them. As a biting takedown of the unfortunate world we live in, Idiotka directs its titular insult with good-natured panache.
Underneath the parody, however, is a sincere exploration of love and compassion, especially of the kinfolk kind. Despite all the arguments and regrets, Margarita and her relatives ultimately stand by each other through thick and thin (and there’s a lot of both). Along the way, they (and we) enjoy outrageous wardrobe choices, questionable textile choices, and all the cattiness that reality television brings out in its subjects. Given that the real world is easily this absurd, it almost feels like a documentary.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
2025 Maryland Film Festival; Nastasya Popov ; Idiotka movie review
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