Heart's Boomerang

In the opening scene, Kostya (23) is confronted with bad news: the doctor tells him that he is suffering from incurable heart disease. In theory, he could drop dead at any moment. Kostya then proceeds to share the news with no one. Not even with his mother, who seems so close. Not with the colleague he shares his metro journey with every day. And not with his girlfriend, with whom he has a difficult relationship.
What is Kostya really going through? Is he trying to come to terms with his ticking time bomb? Is he reflecting on the radically changed meaning of his life?
Russian director Nikolay Khomeriki builds up the mystery around Kostya's psychological state subtly and patiently. The picturesque black-and-white photography of St Petersburg in winter is by Shandor Berkeshi (Koktebel), whose camera remains at a distance and hence gives the viewer plenty of space to penetrate Kostya's soul.