III

In a remote village somewhere in Eastern Europe, a mysterious plague is killing the inhabitants. After their mother’s death, sisters Ayia (Polina Davydova) and Mirra (Lyubov Ignatushko) have only each other – until Mirra falls ill too. When medicine fails, Ayia turns to Father Herman (Evgeniy Gagarin), a friend of the family. In his house she comes across books on shamanic rituals that offer an eerie way out: Ayia is to enter Mirra’s subconscious and find the cause of the illness there. Russian director Pavel Khvaleev, previously known mainly for music videos and, as part of the trance act Moonbeam, also responsible for the score, made his second feature together with his wife, screenwriter Aleksandra Khvaleeva, on a tiny budget. It does not show: vast landscapes, aerial shots and nightmarish imagery recall “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Cell”, which Khvaleev names as models. The story takes a back seat to the atmosphere. “III” screened at festivals including Brussels’ BIFFF and London’s FrightFest and won Best Cinematography at the Byron Bay International Film Festival.