Fake dating the guy who bullied you? What could go wrong. (Everything. Everything goes wrong.)
High school student Polina is saved from bullying at her new school and makes a deal with the main bully Bars: he must pretend to be her boyfriend and protect her, and she must do everything he says. During this game, the couple develops real feelings, but her family and classmates have reasons to separate the lovers.
Acting
Vegas and Zhuravleva sell the toxic chemistry.
Direction
Vaynberg leans into discomfort, never flinches.
Director
Mikhail Vaynberg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on a viral Russian YA novel that sparked debates about romanticizing abuse in teen media. The film deliberately walks the line the book stumbled over.
Zhuravera was 22 playing 16; Vegas was 28. Director Vaynberg made them attend an actual Moscow high school incognito for two weeks to capture authentic student dynamics.
RU
