Everything Will Not Be Fine

A remarkably frank account of an attempt to get a grip on life. The first question is “When did it all start?” With the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, perhaps? When it happened, Adrian Pirvu’s mother was nearby and pregnant with him. She believes that’s why he is almost blind in one eye. Adrian is lonely and angry, and he hopes to find purpose in his life before he turns 30. So he decides to make a film in Ukraine about other people affected by Chernobyl. That’s how he meets Helena, which turns his world upside down. A new beginning?

Helena suffers from chronic pain, but she deals with her problems differently than Adrian. They fall in love. And the film—understated and straightforward, but appealingly direct—becomes a shared project. They meet other people who are grappling with the effects of the Chernobyl disaster, and they also turn the camera on each other. The film’s main focus, besides the struggle with their physical issues, is the matter of what it is that binds them and what stands in their way. It’s about happiness, love, and uncertainty. What do you need to stay together? The search for the answer to that question transcends the personal story.