30/12/2024
Subtle World
Directed by Alexandra Pustynnova
Masha leads a double life: in one, she is a photographer, a mother, and an unloved wife; in the other, she is a medium who maintains daily contact with the subtle world of spirits through electronic voice phenomena. One day, Masha realizes that the spirit she has been communicating with for a year is actually a living person—and she truly falls in love.
In 1920, Thomas Edison wrote about the possibility of communicating with the non-material world in Scientific American magazine. Later, in 1959, Swedish researcher Friedrich Jurgenson discovered the “electronic voice phenomena” (EVP)—receiving audio messages from anomalous information sources on sound-recording and sound-transmitting devices. Since then, countless people around the world have used this method to contact deceased loved ones and entities from the “subtle world.”
Masha, the main character, is 36 years old and lives in Cheboksary. She has an 11-year-old son, who is primarily raised by his grandmother, and a husband—a construction worker who frequently leaves home for work. Masha is relieved by her husband’s frequent absences, as their relationship has long been devoid of understanding or connection.
Masha used to be more social: she won grants for her photo exhibitions, participated in performances, and enjoyed an active social life. Over time, however, her family situation and other factors caused her to withdraw. She became obsessed with esotericism, isolating herself from those around her. Although she made new acquaintances in the esoteric community, most of her interactions shifted to online spaces.
Now, Masha spends nearly all her time within the walls of her house. Her nights are spent awake while her husband sleeps, immersed in astral travel, reading auras of her online friends from photographs, capturing images of entities from the “subtle world” using reflections in water, and recording voices of the dead.
Masha’s closest connection is with a spirit she develops strong feelings for. However, she eventually discovers that this “spirit” is actually the living frontman of the famous musical group Kurara, Oleg Yagodin.
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