“Mansky’s eye for detail is peerless.” —The Guardian

“A poignant home movie with an international dimension, CLOSE RELATIONS attempts to tease out some illuminating personal stories from the recent political and military turmoil in Ukraine. Viewers will have their patience rewarded with a film steeped in somber poetry and occasional black humor.” —The Hollywood Reporter

“This stripped-down, no frills documentary doesn’t look at the disruption to the state, but to the personal cost of political divides as Mansky’s fractured family parallels the fallout of the former Soviet Union. RODNYE affectively chronicles the sense of alienation as Mansky reflects upon his disconnection to his adopted homeland of Russia and his native berth of Ukraine. The personal is indeed political.” —POV Magazine

“Despite overestimating familiarity with Eastern European politics, the film's personal lens pinpoints universal truths about what happens when we accept government policies at face value, and how far patriotism will take those with a war on their hands.” —Cinema Scope

“Intimate and insightful.” —Letterboxd

“Mansky uses these disparate points of view to illustrate how individual lives come together to form a broader conflict... Where many see only a cold-war-esque ‘us vs. them’ conflict, CLOSE RELATIONS invites us to see a diversity of thought. Highly Recommended.” —Video Librarian