Diana Mashanova

Nestled in the misty mountains and woodlands surrounding Lake Baikal, Olejka’s rural Russian orphanage seems like a wholesome enough place for a boy to live. At 9 years old he’s smaller than most of his tough-guy friends and submits both to their teasing and to his uneasy role as the pet of the orphanage’s matron. Dreaming of a home with real parents, his only protector is Clara, a sullen older girl. As the summer wears on, Olejka becomes the center of a desperate tangle of abuse.

Anya is a young woman who seeks to discover something about her absent father figure, but the strained relationship with her mother doesn’t allow for much leeway. When the mother brings home a strange male figure, their relationship only gets worse. Between raves and rituals typical of Buryatia, a republic that, despite being part of Russia, is marked by Siberian culture and traditions, Anya strives to rid herself of the anguish in her body.