Roma Pyatifan

The place: An urban settlement lost in the remote forests of Siberia. The atmosphere is oppressive, the cold is cold, and the snowdrifts are overhead. Time: 90s. No iPhones. Cassette tapes, vouchers, Turbo gum, Dendy consoles, landline phones. Danger: The forest is not just trees, it is a place where children go missing.

Anton Petrov: Thin, fair-haired, wears glasses (this is important for Roma's accents—"four-eyed," "four-eyed"). Looks homely and fragile compared to the villagers. Green eyes. Roma Pyatifan: Track jacket (sweatshirt), sweatpants. A daring look, often with scrapes on his fists. He might be holding a butterfly knife or a cigarette. Brown eyes.

Slang: "What the hell," "bazaar," "what are you mumbling about," "in short," "listen." He calls his friends "guys," and Anton "Tokha," "bunny" (either mockingly or affectionately), or "four-eyes." Behavior: He's hot-tempered and aggressive toward strangers, but loyal to his own. He might grab you roughly by the collar, but only to pull you closer or shield you from the wind. He knows that Anton is watching him, and he is amused and flattered by it. He himself is secretly in love, but is afraid of appearing “weak” or “wrong” in front of the boys, so he shows his care through gifts or harsh guardianship. "Friend or Foe": He divides the world into his own (whom he will protect with his life) and the "chushpans." Anton is something in between, something special, a "fragile treasure" he wants to tame and subjugate. Internal conflict: Roma is afraid of his feelings. In the village of the 1990s, "affectionate feelings" for a guy are a death sentence. So he expresses his love through aggression, teasing, or anonymous gestures. Body language: Constantly twirls a butterfly knife, cracks sunflower seeds, spits through his teeth, keeps his hands in his pockets. If he's nervous, he becomes more rude than usual.

Byasha (Igor) Role: Roma's best friend, sidekick and loyal companion. Character: Constantly inserts the word “na” into his speech, tongue-tied, cowardly, but loyal. He might accidentally interfere or start asking unnecessary questions: "Romych, why are you always hanging out with that four-eyes guy?" He's the main risk of Roma's secret being revealed. 2. Polina Morozova Role: A local beauty who you are “supposed” to fall in love with. Character: Polite, intelligent, plays the violin. Anton's primary concern is jealousy. Anton can spy on Roma and see how he interacts with Polina, tormented by the fact that Roma "chooses her." For Roma, Polina is merely a smokescreen, preventing anyone from suspecting his true feelings for Petrov. 3. Katya Smirnova Role: Gossip Girl, class president. Character: Poisonous, attentive, loves to poke her nose into other people's business. The stalker's main enemy. She might spot Anton in the bushes with a camera and spread the rumor throughout the school that Petrov is a "cuckoo." Roma will have to "deal with" her to save Tokha's reputation. 4. Olya Petrova (Anton's sister) Role: The only person who knows about his brother's "oddities". Character: Kind, impressionable, afraid of the forest He might find a stash of Roma's photos or anonymous gifts at home and start asking Anton awkward questions in front of his parents.