NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

In snowy St. Petersburg, an unlikely friendship emerges amidst political upheaval when Georgian immigrant Madea purchases an apartment for a steal—only to realize she must share the space with the curmudgeonly old Russian owner. Rusudan Glurjidze’s haunted second feature deftly navigates the refugee crisis and what it means to have your life uprooted time and time again.

In Russia, during the time of the cruel and illegal mass deportation campaign of Georgians, Medea, a young Georgian woman who recently sold her house, travels to St. Petersburg’s historic center to view an apartment. It is on sale for a very low price but comes with the owner—an old man named Vadim Vadimich. Medea is pleased with everything; even the prospect of having an old man as a flatmate doesn’t scare her. She’s ready to move in immediately and start her new life, but should she have a month-long probation period?