On the eve of his important cello recital, twelve-year-old Slava Slonin struggles to practice as his father embarks on an extravagant drinking spree. Why does Slava practice so devotedly? Why does his father drink so extravagantly? Because of Mama. Director Serguei Bassine has crafted a heart-wrenching but charming film that chronicles the coming-of-age of a young boy in 1980s Soviet Russia. Valera Yakovlev debuts as Slava, who is torn between the disappointments of an alcoholic father (Sergei Kashonin), the expectations of a perfectionist mother (Yelena Spiridonova), and his own desire to claim his childhood. Irina Osnovina also stars as music teacher Ludmilla Nickolaevna, who encourages Slava to discover his "feelings ... feelings!"