Focusing on one of the most dismaying realities of contemporary life, Babnik is set amidst the brutal and shadowy world of sex trafficking. When a San Francisco–based Russian trafficking ring takes an interest in a destitute young girl, people from various walks of life, including a chronic gambler, are sucked into an elaborate scheme to abduct her. Misha is the charismatic crime lord at the center of this tight-knit immigrant community. He’s always on the lookout for recent arrivals who might be exploited in some way, scamming young aspiring models and “helping” mail-order brides leave their abusive American husbands by nudging them into prostitution. Misha is always in control, always quiet, with a disposition that vacillates between sophisticated and terrifying. Part exposé, part suspense tale, Alejandro Adams's unnerving film—much like the world it portrays—is continuously in flux.


Written by Alejandro Adams, Marya Murphy. With Michael Umansky, Artem Mishin, Nika Gambarin, lona Rubashevsky, Arseniy Arkhipov. (77 min)