Watch Alice's Birthday

Alice's Birthday, a 2009 Russian film directed by Sergey Ovcharov, centers around the celebration of Alice's ninth birthday. The movie opens with Alice (Yaroslava Nikolaeva) waking up to her ninth birthday. She's excited and full of aspirations for the day. However, she's soon disappointed when her family seems too busy to pay much attention to her special day. Her dad, a successful businessman, is busy with work, while her mom is caught up in domestic chores, and her teenage sister has teenage things to tend to. Alice is saddened and goes to school, where she expects to celebrate her birthday with her classmates.

Yet, when she reaches school, she finds out that her best friend has transferred to another school, and none of her other classmates seem to remember it's her birthday. Alice is heartbroken and walks home in tears. However, things start to change when she encounters a stranger carrying a briefcase, who introduces himself as Time (Aleksey Kolgan). Time tells Alice that he has decided to give her a gift for her birthday. Alice is confused but intrigued, and so she follows him through the city, which starts to transform the closer they get to Alice's apartment.

Together, they embark on an adventure through different landscapes of Alice's imagination. They visit a place full of games where Alice gets to play with Time, a mystical and misty forest where they encounter a talking tree and, at one point, are even chased by vicious dogs. Throughout this journey, Alice keeps trying to guess what her gift could be, all the while learning important life lessons about the nature of time and how to appreciate the simple things that matter most in life.

The movie's plot is not only about Alice's magical birthday trip with Time, but it also delves into her relationship with her family members. She realizes that they do care for her, but they are often too distracted by life's responsibilities to express their love and care for her. This realization leads Alice to look at her family members in a different light, stop taking them for granted, and start cherishing the time she has with them.

The movie's cinematography is truly one of its highlights, with striking visuals and beautiful landscapes that take the viewer on this fantastic journey alongside Alice. The script is cleverly written with an emphasis on Alice's sense of wonder and a directed message for kids and adults alike, which makes the movie relatable to a broad audience.

The performances of the three main actors are also noteworthy. Yaroslava Nikolaeva, who plays Alice, delivers an impressive performance, flawlessly portraying both the hope and devastation of a child who believes she is being neglected by her family. Aleksey Kolgan, who plays Time, is a captivating and enigmatic character with an effortless and charming performance. He works perfectly alongside Nikolaeva, creating a warm and touching chemistry that engages you from beginning to end. Roman Staburov, who plays Alice's dad, also delivers a credible performance, portraying well the struggle of balancing work-life and family responsibilities.

Overall, Alice's Birthday is a heartwarming and uplifting movie that cherishes the joys of life and family while conveying valuable lessons to children and adults alike. It provides an imaginative escape, captivating visuals, and charming performances that make it a timeless classic for families all over the world.

Alice's Birthday is a 2009 animated movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.5.