Extraordinary (2024): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2024, Extraordinary is a drama and comedy film directed by Ilya Malanin, running about 100 minutes.

What it’s about. Eight-year-old Nikolai suffers from a congenital illness that leaves him unable to walk or speak. His doctors and even his own mother, Tatyana, have given up hope of treating his ailment. When Tatyana’s new friend Yuri tries using his own physiotherapy techniques to treat Nikolai, he discovers that Nikolai has a gift for music and teaches him to play the piano. With every note he learns and every melody he masters, Nikolai’s condition improves. He not only gains mobility, he also becomes an outstanding musician. Nikolai and Yuri travel to China together to take part in a piano competition, with a view to taking the grand prize. This is a humor-packed story about the healing power of music and fatherly love.

Who’s in it. Extraordinary stars Aleksandr Yatsenko as Yuri, Illarion Marov as Kolya, Xu Shiyue as Anna and Natalya Kudryashova as Tatyana, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 9.1/10, Extraordinary sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

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

If you liked it. Fans of Extraordinary tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.