Other People’s Letters

Vera is a dedicated, solitary schoolteacher who opens her home to Zina hoping to guide her. Her mentorship blurs boundaries as she becomes emotionally entangled with her student and her life revolves around trying to shape Zina’s empathy. She is confronted by the uncomfortable reality that the people in her care can betray and manipulate her. Her decision to forgive the privacy invasion reveals a compassionate but potentially enabling side.

Zina is a 16-year-old with a troubled background; impulsive and strong-willed, she quickly asserts control by peering into Vera's letters and reshaping them to fit her narrative. Her manipulation reveals her hunger for agency and her cruelty when others doubt her. She views Vera as both caretaker and object of power, and her actions reflect a critique of adolescence seeking power over adults. The ending shows her growing confidence as she directs classmates, leaving Vera's absence as the price of the conflict.

Zhenya is the older, more mature man whom Zina confesses to; he unsettles her and ultimately rejects her advances. His detachment triggers Zina's sense of grievance and fuels the ensuing confrontation. He is a catalyst rather than an active participant in the central coercive dynamic, representing the limits of adult responsibility in the face of a vulnerable teen. His initial refusal underscores the power imbalance at the film’s core.

Igor is Vera's painter lover, an adult presence in Vera's life who embodies the private emotional life Vera tries to balance with her professional obligations. He represents a fragile escape, yet his relationship with Vera becomes part of the conflict as Zina uses private letters to manipulate perceptions. He is not a central figure in the plot’s cruelty but his affair context helps explain Vera's vulnerability. His character demonstrates how adult relationships intersect with mentorship and judgment.