Present-day London. A tarot-themed restaurant. One family vs. a deck of cards.

Meet the guests: Robert, the wealthy yet miserable patriarch; Patricia, his glamorous but delusional wife; Madison, their ambitious yet morally flexible daughter; and Jackson, their socially inept, basement-dwelling son. They sit down for what should be a fun, slightly pretentious Friday night dinner - until the tarot cards start talking.

Here, the menu isn’t chosen - it’s foretold. But instead of food, each card dishes out steaming-hot revelations: Madison’s mysterious income stream, Jackson’s unconventional hobby, Patricia’s latest get-rich-quick disaster, and Robert’s secret plans to flip the family table for good.

As the night descends into chaos, what was intended to be an entertaining night takes a turn into an unexpected yet karmically fated showdown.

Director’s Statement

It is contradictory how spirituality and practices like tarot have gone viral in a society increasingly driven by self-interest and a growing willingness to blur moral boundaries. Cards Down was born from this paradox. It critiques the inauthenticity of our era - where people "manifest" new identities and hide behind curated façades.

The film uses dark comedy to explore the tension between reality and performance. It dissects modern masculinity and feminism, exposing how both are often reduced to performance rather than genuine selfhood.

At its core, this is a story about karma - not the feel-good Instagram version, but the raw, inescapable kind. Because the truth always surfaces, whether we’re ready or not.

Target Audience

•⁠  ⁠Millennials (25-40) and older Gen Z (18-25) who grew up in the age of social media, mass obsession with tarot, astrology, and “subscription-based spirituality.”

•⁠  ⁠Fans of dark comedies with social commentary (Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, The White Lotus).

•⁠  ⁠People interested in satire on modern cultural trends.

Cards Down is a dark comedy with sharp, absurdist social critique. It will appeal to fans of Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness and The Square, Mark Mylod’s The Menu, and series like The White Lotus or Succession.

Our Crew:

Maria Kraevska - Co-Writer and Director 

Maria Kraevska (she/her) is a Bulgarian writer-director based in London. A Met Film School graduate with a background in film studies at UAL and training in slapstick theatre, she crafts bold, comedic films that explore social issues through absurdism.

Cards Down is her passion project - a sharp, dark comedy that delves into spirituality, self-delusion, and the performative nature of gender. It explores the stories we tell ourselves and what happens when reality - or a tarot deck - calls our bluff.

Dasha Sidnev - Co-Writer

Dasha Sidnev (she/her) is a London-based screenwriter and creative producer with a background in comedy and social satire. A graduate of MET Film School, she has written several original scripts, often exploring power, identity, and the contradictions of modern life.

For Cards Down, she brings her sharp wit and love of surreal storytelling, peeling back layers of self-delusion one tarot card at a time. She’s especially drawn to the absurdity of human behaviour - and why people keep making terrible choices.

Elizaveta Strelkova - Producer

Elizaveta (she/her) is a London-based creative producer completing her MA in Producing at Met Film School. She has produced commercials, branded pieces, and short films, coordinating diverse creative teams to deliver ambitious projects on schedule and within budget.

Elizaveta is particularly attracted to Cards Down for its satirical nature, sharp humour, and striking visual language - elements that align with her dedication to bold narrative and character-driven storytelling. Elizaveta’s primary goal is to bring the team’s creative vision to life, managing the chaos behind the scenes so the chaos on screen looks flawless.

Cassandra Chevrette - Cinematographer

Cassandra Chevrette (she/they) is a French-Canadian cinematographer with a diverse international upbringing, having grown up in France, Switzerland, China, and Canada. Passionate about sharing meaningful and impactful stories through the lens, Cassandra's work aims to capture the depth and nuance of human experiences.