← Back to results
A Dog Named Palma
Пальма
2021 110 min Russia, Japan 6+
★7.6
Family, Romance
Director: Aleksandr Domogarov
Trailers
Description
The film is inspired by an incredible story of a shepherd dog named Palm who was inadvertently left in the airport by her owner. She befriends nine-year old Nicholas whose mother dies leaving him with a father he barely knows - a pilot who finds the dog at the airport. It's a story of amazing adventures, true friendship and unconditional love.
Starring
Liliya
Actor
Viktor Dobronravov
Actor
Leonid Basov
Actor
Awards
6 wins & 2 nominations
Key opinion
Palma is a sincere, heart-tugging family drama that successfully captures the bond between a boy and his abandoned dog. While it earns praise for its high production values and emotional resonance, opinions remain divided on whether its polished, slightly sanitized aesthetic and simplistic characterizations offer genuine depth or feel overly artificial.
| Production | The film excels in period accuracy, utilizing authentic 1970s aircraft and sets to create a convincing, visually appealing atmosphere. | |
| Acting | The dog's performance is universally praised, often described as more compelling and authentic than the human cast. | |
| Acting | Leonid Basso's portrayal of Kolya polarizes viewers; some find his performance realistically intense, while others view the character’s writing as prone to excessive, hysterical tantrums. | |
| Emotion | The emotional tone is split: audiences appreciate the film's heartwarming, uplifting message about empathy, but critics argue the polished, 'sterile' aesthetic feels disconnected from a grounded 1970s reality. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for its simplistic, 'vanilla' narrative choices and caricatured villains that lack genuine complexity. |