A Fairy Tale for the Old

Batya dispatches his three 'sons', Senior, Middle, and Roman (Junior), to investigate sightings of Mulya in three different cities: Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Rostov. This serves a dual purpose: it tests their loyalty and能力 (capability), while allowing Batya to cover more ground in his search for the missing stash-keeper who vanished three years earlier with a significant sum of gang money.

Mulya was the keeper of the regional stash for Batya's criminal organization. Three years before the story, he disappeared with a significant sum of money. The movie implies he either spent or hid this money during his time away, though the exact amount and location are never clearly revealed.

Mulya (Evgeniy Tkachuk) was Batya's trusted stash-keeper who vanished three years before the story begins. He disappeared with the gang's money, and Batya dealt with him for this betrayal. However, rumors surface that Mulya has been seen alive in three distant Russian cities, prompting Batya to investigate whether he truly survived.

In Rostov, Middle encounters a coffin containing a man identical to Mulya at a wake hosted by Yakov the Stableman, who also bears a striking resemblance. The film never explicitly explains these lookalikes, leaving their connection ambiguous, whether they are relatives, coincidental doppelgängers, or something more supernatural remains unclear.

The multiple sightings across different cities hint at the possibility of lookalikes from the start.

Middle finds Mulya, Batya, Senior, and Junior together in a quiet kitchen, drinking tea and discussing the end of winter. This surreal gathering collapses the mystery, all the searching across three cities leads not to a confrontation, but to an inexplicable, peaceful reunion. The scene suggests the investigation was perhaps unnecessary or predetermined, with the outcome already decided.

When Middle expresses confusion at the absurdity of finding everyone together, Senior advises him to simply accept what is happening and wish everyone a peaceful spring. This reflects the film's themes of surrendering to the inexplicable, Senior embodies a philosophy of acceptance rather than resistance to the surreal events unfolding around them.

In Novosibirsk, Senior allies with a local dwarf named Aleksey Inglevich who has a sharp talent for locating people. This character represents the film's shift from realistic crime thriller into fantasy territory, providing Senior with supernatural assistance in his search for Mulya's trail.

Throughout the film, Senior and Middle encounter groups of people in elaborate costumes, celebrants whose processions block the investigation at key moments. These surreal interruptions reinforce the dreamlike, folkloric atmosphere and suggest the search follows a ritualistic pattern beyond normal human logic.

In Saint Petersburg, Junior follows a lead on Mulya and a guide escorts him by elevator to a mysterious location. The summary describes this place as feeling 'almost otherworldly, where the rules of reality seem loose and sense is elusive,' reinforcing the film's shift into surreal territory.

In Rostov, Middle is betrayed and left stranded in the woods, isolated from his brothers. This separation intensifies his disorientation and leads him to stumble upon the wake with the Mulya lookalike, driving the investigation forward despite being cut off from assistance.

Batya (Anatoliy Tishin) is the powerful crime boss who trusted Mulya as his stash-keeper. When Mulya disappeared with money, Batya had him killed for the betrayal. Their final peaceful reunion in the kitchen suggests either an unresolved past, a reconciliation, or perhaps a surreal reimagining of their relationship, though the film offers no clear explanation.

The ending defies simple categorization. The characters share tea and laughter, toasting to spring's arrival, creating a sense of peaceful closure. Yet no actual resolution occurs, the mystery of Mulya's return, the money, and the multiple lookalikes remain unsolved. The film offers emotional satisfaction without narrative clarity, embracing ambiguity as part of its fairy tale structure.