Maria, aged 82, and her sick son Sashko live out their days in a remote province. Sashko went blind because of serious illness. He’s afraid that his mother is dying, but Maria desperately clings to life as she realizes that no one will take care of her son. They may seem to be acting irrationally, but they are heroically unwilling to surrender. Maria buys a calf, Sashko starts to build a tractor, groping his way in the darkness…

A dystopian story set in post-war Ukraine, where a frustrated film director struggles to make the most of his life after being denied the opportunity to pursue his movie-making career. Estranged from his wife and daughter, who have been living in Vienna and are reluctant to return to their war-torn nation, the director tries to find solace in his conviction that the difficult times will pass and life will return to normal.

这是一个圣诞节的故事，也是一场噩梦。主人公要想过上自己的生活、做好自己的工作，就得克服极大的困难。生活为什么是这样呢？为一些神秘的赐福而牺牲自己值得吗？这些都是我们的主人公所面临的问题。 这部电影以冬季的利沃夫为背景，欢庆的节日气氛背后却是杂乱的院落和简陋的居所。友善和慷慨掩饰着狂野欲望和道德沦丧。

Loneliness dwells in a big city; Kostya, the wedding photographer, dwells there too. At work, he is surrounded by happy people celebrating special moments in their lives. Kostya is about to turn 50, and he is drastically losing everything he used to cherish. Will he cope with his despair and regain the joy of life?

Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy is captured by the Russian military forces in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine and while in captivity, he is exposed to horrifying scenes of humiliation, violence and indifference towards human life. After his release, he returns to his comfortable middle-class apartment and tries to find a purpose in life by rebuilding his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife. He learns how to be a human being again, how to be a father and help his daughter, who needs his love and support.

2025年，战争结束的一年后，乌克兰军人塞吉回到现实生活。创伤后的日子并不容易，工厂主管嫌弃、同袍轻生、关厂失业，连家裡的熨斗都不管用，只能在野外猛射人形靶发洩。失业的他因缘际会加入挖寻军人遗体的「黑色鬱金香」计画，认识了志工卡蒂亚，在荒芜废地挖掘的同时，也像掏挖著满是创伤的自己，打开被战争所侵蚀的腐肉，希冀能长出生存的勇气。 乌克兰与俄罗斯间的战争带来空前生态灾难，导演以独特的镜头语言、惊人的场景与摄影，为人物打造出剧场般的舞台。以满佈地雷的区域、废弃的矿场与工厂污染的土地与水源，突显人们面对冰冷的战后景况，是如何的渺小而无用。片中更巧妙植入前苏联名导狄嘉维托夫作品，搬演一齣讽刺幽默的冷调人生。 「在乌克兰，你必须当个乐观主义者。」——瓦伦廷瓦夏诺维奇