--- title: "\"Glad Mom Doesn't Know\": Sasha Lytvynenko's crime comedy hits wide release" description: "The wide release of Sasha Lytvynenko's crime comedy \"Glad Mom Doesn't Know\" — a film consisting of four novellas about a family whose secrets lead to dangerous adventures — has started in Ukrainian cinemas." date: 2026-10-29T13:37:31.494Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/crime-comedy-glad-mom-doesnt-know-released tags: [ukrainian-cinema, crime-comedy, film-release, sasha-lytvynenko, pavel-li] author: "Inna Kinsheva" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Glad Mom Doesn't Know": Sasha Lytvynenko's crime comedy hits wide release ![Man and woman looking into each other's eyes in a room with a neon dollar sign in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/29/kriminalnaya-komediya-dobre-shcho-mama-ne-znae-vyshla-v-prokat/kriminalnaya-komediya-dobre-shcho-mama-ne-znae-vyshla-v-prokat-1.webp) ## Key Points - On October 29, the crime comedy "Glad Mom Doesn't Know" directed by Sasha Lytvynenko started in Ukrainian distribution. - The film consists of four novellas about members of one family: producer Max, actress Slava, and IT specialist Borya. - It took eight years from idea to screen; in March 2022, the director and producer were captured with their family in Bucha, but the footage was saved. - During the war, actors Pasha Li and Yuriy Felipenko and stuntman Kostyantyn Ahapov were killed; part of the team serves in the Defense Forces of Ukraine. - The first screening took place on September 2 at the Odesa Film Festival, and the Kyiv pre-premiere took place on October 27 at the Oscar cinema. On October 29, the wide release of the crime comedy "Glad Mom Doesn't Know" directed by Sasha Lytvynenko kicked off in Ukrainian cinemas. The film combines four novellas about members of the same family, whose secrets hidden from loved ones gradually draw them into dangerous adventures. According to the creators, it took eight years from developing the idea to bringing the film to the big screen — a period that spanned the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's full-scale invasion. ### Four novellas of one family At the center of the plot are music producer Max, theater actress Slava, and IT specialist Borya. They all belong to the same family, yet each hides their own story from close ones. Max is bogged down in debt and criminal cases: while he looks for a way out of a difficult situation, he is hunted by those he owes. Slava faces an armed bandit backstage at the theater, and an ordinary evening turns into a situation with very real danger for her. After the death of his loved one, Borya decides to punish the culprit himself, but his plan begins to collapse almost immediately. As the creators note, some details of the script grew out of the director's personal experience and stories from his acquaintances, while the characters have their own motives, weaknesses, and secrets, and their decisions trigger subsequent events. ### Eight years of work and war The history of the film's creation intersected with key events of recent years. As the authors shared, in March 2022, director Sasha Lytvynenko and producer Yevhen Lytvynenko, along with their family, were taken captive in Bucha. They carried discs with the film's materials with them. The family survived, and the footage, according to the creators, was successfully preserved. ### Losses and service of part of the team During the war, actors Pasha Li and Yuriy Felipenko, as well as stuntman Kostyantyn Ahapov, were killed. For Pasha Li, this picture became one of his last works in cinema. According to the creators, part of the cast and crew is currently serving in the Defense Forces of Ukraine. ### Visual style and cinematic influences The atmosphere of the film, according to the team, was created through light, color, frame composition, and music; visual markers and references were embedded in individual scenes. "Given the crime genre of the film, this style very organically became part of its atmosphere and helped tell the story precisely the way we felt it," Sasha Lytvynenko explained. Among the directors who influenced his cinematic taste, Lytvynenko names the Coen brothers, noting the appeal of multifaceted characters and the combination of criminal stories with irony, drama, and a expressive visual atmosphere. ### Creators and premiere screenings The film stars Pasha Li, Kostyantyn Temlyak, Leia Mayevska, Roman Mulenko, Oleksiy Vorotnikov, Katya Skrypko, and Yuriy Felipenko, among others. The producers are Yevhen Lytvynenko and Oles Maliarevych, with music written by Tymofiy Reshetko. The film was created by Kinomedia and Lytvynenko Films with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency. The audience of the Odesa International Film Festival were the first to see the picture, with the screening taking place on September 2. On October 27, the film was presented at a pre-premiere in Kyiv's Oscar cinema at the Gulliver shopping mall, attended by the creators, film industry representatives, media, and the cultural community; during the evening, the LAUD band performed the film's main soundtrack live. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Одна из последних киноработ Паши Ли: на большие экраны вышла криминальная комедия "Добре, що мама не знає"](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/culture/odna-ostannih-kinorobit-pavla-li-veliki-ekrani-1793280225.html) - The source contains the plot, cast, creation history, premiere dates (Odesa Sept 2, Kyiv Oct 27), and information about the captivity of the Lytvynenko family in Bucha in March 2022. Wide release is October 29. ## FAQ ### When did the wide release of the film begin? The wide release of the crime comedy "Glad Mom Doesn't Know" in Ukrainian cinemas started on October 29. ### How many novellas are in the film and what are they about? The film features four novellas about members of one family: producer Max, stuck in debt and criminal cases; actress Slava, who faces an armed bandit backstage; and IT specialist Borya, preparing revenge after the death of a loved one. ### Who are the creators of the film? The director is Sasha Lytvynenko, producers are Yevhen Lytvynenko and Oles Maliarevych, and the music was written by Tymofiy Reshetko. The film was created by Kinomedia and Lytvynenko Films with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency.