A child calls our protagonist Zelma (Dagmara Domincyk) a pervert, a hurtful thing to say to another child. But then again, children can be cruel to each other, giving each other complexes that metastasize in time. With My Love Affair with Marriage, animation director Signe Baumane gives her viewers a personal and seemingly autobiographical story. She also takes time to examine the childhoods of two of Zelma’s spouses, the first being Sergei (Cameron Monaghan). There are also scenes with Biology’s (Michele Pawk) secondary narration.

My Love Affair with Marriage paints Zelma both as a perpetually lovesick woman and as an artist, as with the latter aspect of her life, she gets a break with a trip to Denmark. This is a boon in the life of a young woman who lived in the Soviet Union. There, she meets fellow artist Bo (Matthew Modine), who eventually gets a work permit in Canada. Life’s changes are immediate, and the film asks whether or not these changes will teach her the right lessons.

I’ll emphasize the feeling that Baumane is using this film to perhaps air some personal things, and it’s good to note this because she knows when to step in or step back and be objective. The Biology scenes are great in My Love Affair with Marriage because they appear objective in explaining love. They’re funny and they also show the logical side to seemingly illogical patterns that we have. The musical interludes have a similar effect, reminding viewers of societal expectations.

My Love Affair with Marriage examines another societal division – the one between the East and the West. The Soviet Union breaking up has several silver lining including Zelma being able to go West. Credit is due to Dominczyk for emphasising Zelma’s excitement when it’s her turn to be the narrator. The film’s binary thinking feel a little expected but there is some truth to that ‘strict’ perspective. Women having to get male acceptance is similar to the humble Easterner trying to impress the Westerners.

The one gripe I have with My Love Affair with Marriage is how it writes supporting characters. Specifically, it writes about a certain aspect of Bo’s identity which, for the most part, feels respectful. It does, however, treat that aspect as a spoiler when it should be a constant part of them. Ok fine, maybe there were hints, but still. And in fairness, Zelma is the protagonist here in a film that examines her toxic relationships. The film, then, helps viewers look into the cycles that they hope they can get out of.

My Love Affair with Marriage is an OVID exclusive.