Siberian Love

After 20 years living in Berlin Russian-German Olga Delane decides to visit her relatives in the small Siberian village Onon-Borzja, 1000 km east from the lake Baikal. After arriving there, she, unmarried and free from any family responsibilities, discusses the traditional understanding of gender roles with the villagers. In her film, she questions her “Western” perception of relationships, shaped by freedom and career, and compares it with the love life of people in Onon-Borzja.

For several years Olga visits her cousins Oleg’s and Sasha’s families, and based on these examples she tries to demonstrate  how the traditional Siberian family works. Sascha, the richest farmer, dominates not only the village, but also his three women (wife and two daughters), while Oleg and Ljuba live without any romance, but cannot imagine their lives without each other. Through her film, Olga Delane shows how the understanding of gender roles has been shaped in both families throughout several generations, and how this is changing now. This observation will be expanded by intimate conversations with villagers of all ages, bringing us an intense film on Siberian love.