Happy When You're Not
| Happy when You're Not | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Igor Marchenko |
| Written by | Igor Marchenko |
| Produced by | Alexander Plotnikov Anna Tikhonova |
| Starring | Aleksandra Bortich Gosha Tokayev |
| Cinematography | Georgy Magala |
| Edited by | Maksim Baranov |
Production companies | A-10 Studio LOOKFILM |
| Distributed by | Exponenta Film |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
Happy when You're Not[1] (Russian: Счастлив, когда ты нет, romanized: Schastliv, kogda ty net) is a 2025 Russian romantic comedy directed and written by Igor Marchenko. Starring Aleksandra Bortich and Gosha Tokayev.
The film premiered in August 2025 at the Koroche short and debut feature film festival in Kaliningrad, where it won the main prize.[2][3]
Plot
Yevgeny and Yevgenia have the same names, difficult personalities, and complicated love lives. He's in love with his best friend's fiancée, and she's sleeping with his boss. They meet by chance at a party and instantly develop a mutual...antipathy. But that doesn't stop them from ending up in bed together. Only after that, things get even more complicated. Is it possible to be happy with someone who constantly irritates you, or is it better not to even try?[4]
Cast
- Aleksandra Bortich as Yevgenia
- Gosha Tokayev as Yevgeny
- Sonya Raizman as Olya[5]
- Yevgeny Sannikov as Danila
- Anton Momot as Dima
Critical response
The Russian Guild of Film Critics recognized the film with two nominations for its award: for best debut (Marchenko) and best male role (Tokayev).
Film.ru reviewer Naya Guseva gave the film a negative review. She gave it a 4 out of 10 and concluded: "The stated theme of growing up is reduced to ostentatious lines and gestures, the film confuses candor with outrageousness and quickly runs out of steam. Bortich and Tokayev elevate individual scenes, but the script repeatedly returns them to repetitive hysterics and deliberate rudeness". Also accusing Marchenko of romanticizing unhealthy relationships.[6] Philipp Mironov (Kinopoisk) praised Bortich's performance and noted: "It's unclear from the film: is it more of a comedy of characters with a sitcom twist or a drama about hipsters in spacious apartments with emptiness inside".[7]
References
- ^ "They can't believe their ears: "The Maid" overtook "Cheburashka 2" at the box office". Izvestia. 2026-02-03.
- ^ "Фестиваль «Короче» объявил победителей". ТАСС (in Russian). 2025-08-25.
- ^ "На фестивале «Короче» победили сыновья и деструктивные отношения". Metro (in Russian). 2025-08-25.
- ^ "Счастлив, когда ты нет (2025)". КиноПоиск (in Russian). 2026-02-09.
- ^ Максим Ершов (2026-02-04). "«Счастлив, когда ты нет» с Сашей Бортич и Гошей Токаевым: Два сапога пара". Окко (in Russian).
- ^ Ная Гусева (2025-09-16). "Рецензия на фильм «Счастлив, когда ты нет» — драмеди о любви двух мизантропов". Film.ru (in Russian).
- ^ Филипп Миронов (2025-08-25). "Эйдельштейн — опять мажор, Бортич в роли язвы и 5 фильмов с фестиваля «Короче»". kinopoisk.ru (in Russian).