SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! In writer-director Viktoriia Lapushkina’s short film, Pickup, Di (Elizaveta Ishchenko) is a shy young woman trying to keep up in a “pickup” class. The class is by The Professor (Evgeniia Lazareva) who promises her students they can unlock their inner goddess and make men lose their minds. At the break, each student is given a big assignment on a slip of paper. It says, “Get a man to buy you a coffee.”
The problem arises when Di heads out to complete the assignment. See, every potential target is quickly snapped up by one of the other women in her group. Out of options, Di slips up to a rooftop smoking area and spots Alex (Arseny Sergeev) standing on the ledge, looking ready to jump. Di, desperate to finish her assignment, blurts out her demand of “buy me a coffee,” right as he’s trying to end his life.
“…spots Alex standing on the ledge, looking ready to jump. Di, desperate to finish her assignment, blurts out her demand…”
Pickup is a quick 3-minute satire from Moscow about the universal dating troubles faced by the average citizen. We’re urged to present ourselves as better people. This is a game we play all around the world. The filmmaker points out that she’s making a distinction between the mindset of millennials and that of their old-school parents.
I love Lapushkina’s filmmaking efficiency. Three minutes gets us, the audience, to the point and hits us with the punchline. In short films, filmmakers need to make their point; that’s all. Pickup is a solid film from start to finish.
Pickup screened at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…a solid film from start to finish."
