Beneath her Window

Bemoaning her singleton status as she approaches her thirtieth birthday, the last thing dance teacher Dusha needs is a stalker in her life. Someone has been in her flat while she’s at work (rather benignly, they unblocked a sink), and it isn’t her part-time lover, a married vet. This second feature from Slovenian novelist and film-maker Pevec chooses a path which zigzags between an affectionately observed slice of life and slightly bizarre diversions, including the surprise arrival of a deadly snake by post. Although lacking a certain emotional intensity, it’s a warm, woozy affair, built around a caring mother-daughter relationship, pointed ornithological interludes, and leading lady Juh’s disarming Ellen Barkin-esque appeal.