3 min readPuneJan 16, 2026 10:44 PM IST
First published on: Jan 16, 2026 at 10:41 PM IST
Written by Vaishnavi Gujar
Critics have called White Snail, directed by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, a different breed of film that explores themes of identity, loneliness, and human connection. The film has won a number of awards globally, including at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Curiosity was high as the film was screened at the Pune International Film Festival on Friday as part of the World Competition section.
Several members of the audience agreed about the powerfully haunting story.
Mikhail Senkov, the male lead, had much to answer. Speaking in Russian, the actor said after the screening that the 115-minute film, which follows a Belarusian model who dreams of building a career in China, only to find herself drawn into an unexpected relationship with a solitary night shift worker at a morgue, had been an emotional experience for him.
“The movie is based on two different people, two different relationships – of Masha and Misha. They are from two different worlds. Masha is from the world of modeling, and Misha, the role that I play, is an artist, so his world is totally different. But still, they’re trying to connect to each other. They met in the movie, and they had a very difficult but a very interesting relationship. They’re trying to know each other better, and at the same time, they emerge into themselves,” said Senkov.
He had, reportedly, first met the director, Kremser, at a film festival. He had taken her to a morgue. Then, to his apartment where he had a number of paintings, including of a woman who had tried to take her life and survived.
Told through an intimate and atmospheric lens, the film unravels a fragile love story between two outsiders, questioning notions of beauty, mortality, and belonging. “The title White Snail symbolises the context of Masha. Her hair and her skin are white. In the Russian language, we have an expression that white snail is a person who is different from others. It’s like a metaphor,” said Senkov.
He said that the most emotional part for him was when the couple was discussing, arguing by a lake. “They are very kind people and arguing, for them, is quite difficult. They have very kind hearts,” he said.
The actor said that the most dramatic part was the final, when “Masha is giving me white snails”. “Because, it was really the moment when we were saying goodbye to each other. But, it was easy to act this part,” he said.
The film has won a number of awards globally, including at the Locarno International Film Festival. (Source: Express Photo) 
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