Burning with a Palm Tree: Mel Gibson vs Zhdun and the Firebird

There are no competitors for "Palma 2" at the Russian box office this weekend: the long-awaited sequel to the international family hit is already showing the best numbers. But that doesn't mean there's nothing else to watch. Mel Gibson's first directorial film in many years has reached Russian screens, and the festival favorites "The Firebird" and "Daddy Died on Saturday", which have already become legendary after the first screenings, are also starting at the same time. Izvestia studied the weekend's novelties and chose what not to miss.

"A particularly dangerous passenger" 18+

Directed by Mel Gibson. Starring: Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace, Lea Remini

On March 16, Donald Trump named Mel Gibson among his "Hollywood ambassadors," along with Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight. Gibson himself, who has never spoken to Trump in his life, found out about this from the news and calls from the press (Izvestia also sent him a request, the actor refused to communicate). This free advertisement happened a week before the release in the United States of Gibson's first directorial work in almost a decade — the war drama "For Reasons of Conscience" was released in 2016, received two Oscars out of six nominations and was quite successful.

But the fate of the thriller "A particularly dangerous passenger" was not very good. He received a sharply negative reception from critics (29% "freshness" on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregator), and Mel Gibson probably assumed that his support for Trump could also be to blame. Then the film was released in the USA, and it started to fail miserably. It didn't even help that Mark Wahlberg heroically shaved his head and improvised in almost every scene for filming, just as the laurels of Gibson's previous films didn't help that this one was the shortest, only an hour and a half. In the United States, the film has earned less than $30 million since January, and less than $15 million in the rest of the world. But in Russia, she has good prospects. We love Wahlberg and Gibson, we love strong thrillers, we have a shortage of high-quality Western content, and the story of how a criminal is being tried in a small airplane is full of drama and intrigue.

Zhdun 6+

Director: Dmitry Suvorov. Starring: Viktor Khorinyak, Yulia Alexandrova, Nikita Tarasov, Andrey Andreev, Margarita Silaeva

It is known that it usually takes two to three years to create a full-length film, counting from the moment of the application. This period includes the search for financing, writing the script, filming, and a long period of post-production. All this means that if Zhdun had been launched when Margrit van Brevoort's sculpture turned into a meme, that is, in 2017, then around 2018-2019, a film about him could have become a hit at least because of the hero's name. Unfortunately, in 2025, many people have to remember what they are talking about when they hear the word "Zhdun", because memes live vividly, but not for long. The film is unlikely to be a hit, especially next to Palm 2, which will be discussed below.

The plot of "Zhdun" is a well—recognized "Alien" by Steven Spielberg. Zhdun, a small but kind alien, comes to Earth, meets the boy and his family, and then they begin to think about how he can return home. Where Spielberg had drama and suspense, the authors of "Zhdun" turned on humor and sentimentality to the fullest and decided to rely on the skills of Viktor Khorinyak, Yulia Alexandrova, Nikita Tarasov and other bright actors. They worked out their fees wonderfully, but, unfortunately, Zhdun, animated on the computer, turned out to be categorically inconsiderate and simply not interesting. We have to look at other beauties, which the film owes to the late cameraman Pavel Kapinos, whose lens gave us "Hardcore", "Spiritless 2" and "The Last Heroes".

"Palm Tree 2" 6+

Directed by Vladimir Kondaurov. Starring: Viktor Dobronravov, Leonid Basov, Vladimir Ilyin, Evgenia Dmitrieva, Valeria Fedorovich, Igor Khripunov, Sergey Gilev, Taisya Kalinina

The absolute family hit of this weekend is the continuation of the Russian "Hachiko", the very "Palm Tree", the popularity of which has escaped far beyond the borders of Russia. The characters are still the same. Civilian pilot Lazarev now flies a rural helicopter instead of airliners, but he is happy with his former flight attendant Nina and, of course, his beloved Palm Tree. They have a new pet in their family — a real teddy bear. And then an antagonist appears on the horizon, a stern hunter, played by Sergey Gilev. Thanks to this character, suspense appears in the film, even sometimes the genre turns into a light thriller, only to return to funny scenes involving animals and the life-affirming actions of the main characters.

In the last film, the plot was based on the boy Kolya, the son of a pilot. This time, all the trumps are on the paws of the Palm Tree and her friend the bear. They will get into trouble, get out of it, and conduct secret animal rescue operations. All of this is designed to appeal to an audience of all ages, and it's sure to appeal, although there's a feeling that the authors decided not to focus too much on the retro background. The action of the original "Palm Tree" unfolded in 1977, and the second film is kind of unclear when, because there are no Olympics or other bright signs of the time. However, fans of the first part will most likely excuse this.

"Dad died on Saturday" 18+

Directed by Zaka Abdrakhmanova. Starring: Laura Tursunkanova, Samal Yeslyamova, Sharifbek Zakirov, Amina Orazbai

"Daddy died on Saturday" is the most important release of this weekend, this drama won the prize for the best debut at the Lighthouse, it was awarded the White Elephant, and we can say that in modern Russian auteur cinema this is one of the main gems of the season. It was shot by Zaka Abdrakhmanova, a student of Marina Razbezhkina, this is her gaming debut. But in fact, Zaka has worked with Boris Khlebnikov and Natalia Meshchaninova on their recent films, Khlebnikov is the artistic director in this picture, and their influence is very noticeable. It strives for laconicism, for the absence of any false notes, for careful work with the actors to such an extent that they seem like ordinary people whom the camera miraculously managed to spy on.

The main character is a young single woman, Aiko, a Moscow makeup artist. She returns to her native Kazakhstan for the funeral of her father, who once bullied her mother, beat her, and then left for his young wife. At home, Aiko will have to sort things out with her family and with her widow, who is played, by the way, by Samal Yeslyamova, the winner of the Cannes prize for her role in the outstanding film "Aika" by Sergei Dvortsevoy. The film is an hour and a half of living in a different society, full immersion, and an ethnographic essay. And at the same time, a conversation on universal topics, an attempt to answer the questions that torment everyone.

"Firebird" 16+

Directed by Roman Mikhailov. Starring: Alexandra Kiselyova, Illarion Marov, Maria Matzel, Mark Edelstein, Chingiz Garaev, Husky

Roman Mikhailov is certainly the main discovery of Russian auteur cinema of this decade. Charismatic, bright, and distinctive, he is also distinguished by his unnatural fertility. Since 2022, he has released seven full—length films, and all of them are notable. At every festival where they were shown, they were immediately declared the main events. He is adored by critics, has a rapidly expanding fan base, and has virtually no detractors. All viewers are divided into his fans and those who have not yet watched anything from Mikhailov. And Mikhailov himself also presents his work in the most eccentric way. For example, he can sing in Hindi while presenting a movie.

"The Firebird", like Mikhailov's other paintings, casts doubt on the reality of what is happening, makes the characters doubt their mental health, and constantly confuses the viewer and slips fantastic chimeras instead of the "normal" development of the plot. So, here the heroine flies to India to rescue her mother from the sect, and eventually begins to suspect that she found herself not in India, but in her native St. Petersburg. And now she has to think about how to deal with the bizarre kaleidoscope of strange images around her. One of the main roles is played by Mark Edelstein.