From an unlikely beginning in a forgotten roadside outhouse in Kazakhstan, this story unfolds into a mystical and unexpectedly tender reflection on finding connection and getting a second chance.
Stinker blends comedic sci-fi with grounded emotion, telling a story of three strangers whose lives collide in the most unlikely of places, one of them not even human. For those who grew up on ET, this movie might hit home for you. Rather than relying on spectacle, the film leans into stillness, silence, and subtle absurdity, offering a quiet tale that is as bizarre as it is deeply human.
Directed by Yerden Telemissov and co-written by Sergey Litovchenko, the film employs gentle restraint. It follows Sadyk, a weathered homeless man who has lost his will to live, and Nadya, a hostile shopkeeper just trying to keep her head above water. Their paths cross with an alien, stranded and hiding in a public restroom, desperate to get back to its home planet. While the premise may sound nonsensical, Stinker never plays its story for cheap laughs or camp. Instead, it finds meaning in quiet observation and vulnerability, letting each character’s emotional arc unfold slowly and organically.
Bakhytzhan Alpeis delivers a moving performance as Sadyk, portraying a man exhausted by a society that no longer sees him. His interactions with the alien shift from confused to curious to protective, offering him a sense of purpose he had all but abandoned. Irka Abdulmanova brings a guarded intensity to Nadya, revealing cracks in her tough exterior as she slowly allows herself to feel empathy for both Sadyk and the visitor she once thought a mere figment of his imagination. Chingiz Kapin plays the alien with a surprising depth, conveying confusion, hope, and vulnerability through wordless gestures and subtle physical performance. Their interactions are odd, yes, but never insincere.
Although the narrative features cops, motorcades, and a ticking clock, the real tension stems from internal battles, grief, guilt, and the ache of loneliness. The comedic beats are light and often create moments of levity that never undermine the emotional weight of the story. The film focuses on the characters’ need for connection. Visually, the film is stripped down but precise. Wide, static shots capture the bleakness of the desert setting, while close-ups reveal quiet moments of transformation. Much of the storytelling occurs through body language and reaction, with minimal dialogue and extended periods of silence. These pauses allow the audience to sit in the discomfort, the strangeness, and the eventual warmth that arises as these outcasts begin to see one another as more than what meets the eye. The score works in tandem with this stillness, ethereal, melancholic, and otherworldly, echoing the alien’s presence while grounding us in the quiet humanity of Sadyk and Nadya.
Stinker is not about first contact or alien invasions. It is about broken people finding solace in one another, in a place where hope had all but vanished. It is about the marginalized, the discarded, and the forgotten, realizing they still have value. The story may be unconventional, even surreal, but its message is achingly real. Sometimes the most extraordinary thing isn’t the alien in the restroom, it’s the simple, stubborn refusal to give up on someone else. Quietly bold and unexpectedly moving, Stinker offers a heartfelt sci-fi story about friendship, redemption, and the small miracles that can arise in the most unexpected places. It is a reminder that even the strangest visitors can feel like home.
Fantasia 2025 runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025