Life in Chornobyl. The nuclear disaster “exclusion zone” is Igor’s refuge. A thirty-something with two degrees, Igor has been living illegally in Chornobyl for seven years. Seeking refuge from civilization, the war in Ukraine, and his own haunting troubles, Igor wants to find peace. Besides Igor, this Atlantis-like corner is also inhabited by locals whose homes have blended into the underbelly of nature. It is an inaccessible, secluded, and unique planet.

A metaphysical zone between nature and man, past and present, ruin and the promise of peace. As is characteristic to Kairišs, the film includes opera references – in this story, it is The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto is based on two legends – about the beautiful Fevroniya, who lived in the forest and regarded nature to be God’s temple, and about the invisible city of Kitezh, which can only be found by those with true souls. This work, screened and appreciated at European festivals back in the day, has gained even sharper contours over the past ten years.