Film

Merry Christmas in Paris! or The Gang of Lesbians

Director

Olga Zhukova

Year

1991

Four women—Redhead, Blackie, May Lily and Irina—survive 1990s Russia by luring wealthy drunks and desperate men into their flat with booze and promises, then robbing and sometimes killing them. Their hulking bodyguard Baban keeps their crimes quiet (and occasionally watches their secret lesbian parties). Even Blackie’s little daughter gets drawn into the fold, peeking through a crack in the wall. Together, they dream of escaping the post-Soviet grime and spending next Christmas in Paris.