Is there still room for love in the crowded city, amid the demands of work and the total transformation of society? What begins as a simple favor—helping a friend find an apartment—leads Volodia (Wladimir Fogel) into a turbulent love triangle with the young married couple Lyuda (Lyudmila Semyonova) and Kolia (Nikolaij Batalow). The scenario is an allusion to the avant-garde poet Mayakovsky’s ménage à trois with Lila Brik and her husband.  Beneath the surface of this romantic comedy, Room exposes social injustices. It tackles ethical questions, such as women’s self-determination over their bodies, while exploring how civil society strives to evolve under every political regime—as well as the collateral damage that these transformations often leave behind.

The screening on 8 December 2018 at REAKTOR cinema featured a live performance by the Anna Tsombanis Trio (Anna Tsombanis on saxophone, Andreas Waelti on bass, and Valentin Duit on drums).