Illusions

Story

Synopsis

This is a story about love—the kind we chase, the kind we settle for, and the kind that sneaks up on us when we’re not paying attention. It’s about permanence, or the lack of it, and the terrifying realisation that maybe nothing in life—no feeling, no relationship—ever truly stays the same. Alisa Melikova’s debut film Illusions (2025) is a rich tapestry of emotions, following two couples whose lives have been entwined for 50 years. It poses the question: Is love real, or just a story we tell ourselves? And in the end, does it even matter?

Director

Alisa Melikova

Writers

Ivan Vyrypaev

Language

English

Country

Russia, United States of America

Release date

24 October 2025

Ensemble

Cast

• Pavel Shatu

  Albert

• 

  Irina Abraham

  Margaret

• Alexander Notkin

  Denny

• Andrei Kouznetsov

  Denny

• Inna Yesilevskaya

  Margaret

• Olya Mikhaylova

  Sandra

• Svetlana Kifa

  Sandra

• Arnold Shvetsov

  Albert