Mukha is the nickname of Vera Mukhina, a 16-year old schoolgirl from a small Russian town. Mukha takes boxing classes and settles her own problems, forgiving neither peers nor adults for their mistakes. After her mother dies, her father suddenly enters Mukha’s life. Fyodor Mukhin, a trucker, opens the door with his own key, puts his toothbrush in a cup and starts living in her house. So her father did not get burnt alive in a tank, as Mum used to tell. He just failed to show up before. It’s enough for Mukha to declare war on him. This is a story about the choice each of us has to make at one point in life: the choice between freedom and responsibility for another human being. He has to prove that she needs him; to find the key to the cruel world of teenagers, which does not accept outsiders and does not spare insiders…
The film features fantastic shots of everyday life in a deadbeat Russian village, from nightly marathon fights to "interactions" between colourful Russian characters. The first full-length feature film by 35-year-old Vladimir Kott is of course not a typical example of Russian cinema, but its sincerity and heartfelt candour will win the heart of anyone with an appreciation for good film.