Luna Park

In the dim, restless streets of post‑perestroika Moscow, a world still humming with the echo of Soviet slogans feels both familiar and fractured. At its heart lies Luna Park, an abandoned amusement complex whose twisted mirrors and rusted rides reflect the city’s uneasy blend of nostalgia and decay. The atmosphere is heavy with cold neon, graffiti‑scarred walls, and a palpable tension that settles over every conversation, suggesting that the past is never truly past.

Andrei commands a tight‑knit circle of skinheads who call themselves “The Cleaners,” a group that clings to an extreme vision of Russian purity. Their leader’s confidence is forged by stories of a heroic Soviet father who died in Afghanistan, a legend that gives Andrei both purpose and a sense of inherited honor. Yet a night of uneasy revelations shatters that myth, exposing a hidden lineage tied to a Jewish musician still living in the city. The discovery forces Andrei to confront an identity he has never been allowed to question, setting up a clash between the rigid ideology of his gang and the unexpected allure of a world he has been taught to despise.

Caught between loyalty to his comrades and the pull of an unknown heritage, Andrei also bears the weight of his mother Alyona’s expectations, a woman whose own history with the elusive father adds another layer of emotional complexity. The film’s tone is gritty and atmospheric, balancing stark realism with moments of eerie, almost surreal beauty that linger in the shadowed corridors of Luna Park. As Moscow teeters between its Soviet past and an uncertain future, the characters navigate a precarious path where belonging, hatred, and the search for truth threaten to collide at any moment.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 at 04:42