MORPHINE
Directed by Mariia Shcherbinina
Cyprus · 2026 · 12 min 40 sec · Drama
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
A young medical student is drawn into a dark and unstable reality after encountering morphine. As the boundaries between professional duty, loneliness and obsession begin to disappear, his perception of the world becomes increasingly distorted. Inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Morphine”, the film explores isolation, dependency and the fragile line between reality and escape.
Credits
Directed by Mariia Shcherbinina
About the film
A young medical student finds himself increasingly isolated from the world around him. Surrounded by the clinical environment of medicine, he becomes fascinated by morphine and the sense of escape it seems to offer. What initially appears to be a way of coping with loneliness and emotional exhaustion gradually begins to change his perception of reality. As his dependence grows, the boundaries between his professional life, personal feelings and altered state of mind become increasingly blurred. Ordinary spaces begin to feel unfamiliar, while moments of calm are interrupted by anxiety, confusion and a growing inability to distinguish what is real from what exists only in his mind. The student becomes trapped in a cycle that he can no longer easily control. His knowledge of medicine, which should allow him to understand the consequences of his actions, instead becomes part of the contradiction at the centre of his experience: he knows the danger, yet continues to seek the escape it provides. Inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Morphine”, the film reimagines the themes of addiction, loneliness and psychological isolation through a contemporary visual language. Rather than presenting dependence simply as a medical condition, the film focuses on the subjective experience of losing connection with reality and gradually becoming imprisoned by the very thing that once seemed to provide relief.
Director(s)
Mariia Shcherbinina (Marusia Chernova - nickname) is a young filmmaker and director originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, currently based in Cyprus. Her work focuses on psychological stories, human vulnerability and the darker sides of everyday life. She is particularly interested in combining visual storytelling with atmosphere, symbolism and unconventional narrative structures. Chernova has a background in theatre and performance and has worked on short films and audiovisual projects as a director and performer. Her filmmaking style is influenced by contemporary music, Russian cinema and experimental visual language. She is interested in stories that explore isolation, identity, obsession and the complexity of human behaviour. Her short film “Morphine” is a contemporary interpretation inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s work, combining psychological drama with an experimental approach to visual storytelling.
Trailer
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Film stills
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RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026