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I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming

Play trailer Poster for I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming 2026 1h 40m Drama Romance LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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The love of Olya and Oleh, a young queer Ukrainian couple, is put to the test when one partner's gender transition collides with Russia's full-scale invasion. As war narrows and challenges the boundaries of masculinity and femininity, they struggle to preserve their bond and sense of self. What does it mean to be a man in a country that is fighting for its identity and survival?

Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian 13h
5/5
It’s a terrifically well-shot, well-acted, uniquely challenging movie about a belief system in crisis. Go to Full Review Guy Lodge Variety 13h
As the conflict in Ukraine trudges on, Stever’s stark, surprising film is a reminder that we’ve barely skimmed the surface of the country’s war stories. Go to Full Review Sonya Vseliubska IndieWire 13h
A-
Bright is himself transgender and co-founder of The Third Place, an NGO for autistic adults; Myronyshena is a journalist covering the war for The Kyiv Independent. Both bring rawness to the screen with an instinctive precision. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Isabelle Stever

Director

Tania Myronyshena

Actor

Markus Bright

Actor

Irina Mak

Actor

Viktor Zhdanov

Actor

Maiia Sobolevska

Actor
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I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming

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Movie Info

Synopsis The love of Olya and Oleh, a young queer Ukrainian couple, is put to the test when one partner's gender transition collides with Russia's full-scale invasion. As war narrows and challenges the boundaries of masculinity and femininity, they struggle to preserve their bond and sense of self. What does it mean to be a man in a country that is fighting for its identity and survival?
Director
Isabelle Stever
Producer
Uwe Schott, Tom Tykwer
Screenwriter
Anna Melikova
Production Co
X-Filme Creative Pool
Genre
Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Ukrainian
Runtime
1h 40m
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