Babushka (2021): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2021, Babushka is a documentary film directed by Kristina Wagenbauer, running about 25 minutes. “A Canadian director visits her grandmother in Russia after 25 years of separation. Travelling through family memories and those of a country, this roller coaster of emotions invites us into a” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Twenty-five years after she moved away, Canadian filmmaker Kristina Wagenbauer (a participant in the 2019 Talent Lab) returns to her native Russia to visit her grandmother – her Babushka – with whom she spent part of her childhood, in this film brimming with tenderness and humour. The two women reflected in the mirror bear an undeniable resemblance, and each seeks to recognize herself in the other. Plumbing her memories, Wagenbauer hopes to re-establish a lost bond of intimacy and to confront the wounds of the past. Babushka has survived the Second World War, the break-up of the Soviet Union, the void that her daughter and granddaughter left behind when they moved abroad, and, more recently, the death of the love of her life. Despite all of this, she holds to life with a strong spirit of resilience.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Babushka page.

If you liked it. Fans of Babushka tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.