Nirvana

Alisa moves to Saint Petersburg in search of a better life. She begins a new chapter in a city that feels cold and unpredictable, setting the stage for the challenges to come.

Alisa finds work as a nurse and rents a room in a perpetually dark apartment. Her neighbors are Vel, a wary drug user, and Valera, her boyfriend who tries to offer support. The cramped living situation foreshadows the tense dynamics to come.

Vel is disillusioned with people and trusts only herself. Valera remains the one person who still tries to support Alisa, forming a fragile bond with her and the others in the building.

Valera begins an affair with Alisa, a betrayal that shatters Vel’s fragile sense of trust. Vel quickly discovers the betrayal and the conflict between the two women escalates.

Alisa intervenes during a crisis and saves Vel’s life, an act that shifts their dynamic from adversarial to unexpectedly protective. The crisis forges a hesitant, uneasy friendship between them.

Valera disappears, and Vel initially assumes he has gone on another binge. It is soon revealed that he has been kidnapped by criminals who owe him a large debt. The criminals send Vel his severed finger and demand payment for his release.

Alisa helps Vel raise the money needed for Valera’s release, risking her own life in the process. The two go into debt to gather the required sum, intensifying the stakes for both of them.

After Valera is freed, Vel sells her motorcycle to repay part of what they owe. The sale reduces their immediate burden but leaves them vulnerable to further trouble.

Valera tries to disappear again, but Alisa confronts him and tries to stop him. She later realizes that he has stolen the money from the motorcycle sale and she unsuccessfully chases him down.

Vel dies of a drug overdose. She appears to Alisa as a hallucination brought on by Alisa’s own heavy drug use, urging her to leave drugs behind and predicting she will live a long life. She also urges Alisa to leave Saint Petersburg for Moscow.

When clarity returns, Alisa packs her belongings and prepares to leave the apartment. The choice signals a turning point as she seeks a new direction away from the city’s shadowed life.

The film ends with a view of a Saint Petersburg street as Alisa walks away into the distance. Her future remains open as she steps toward Moscow and a different life.