They
They follows two university professors over the course of a day. Lyudmil begins a new position at the university where Miho, the older chairman of the department, is busy juggling the social pressures of work and family. In the end, the two are seen living together as a couple, tender but cautious to keep their relationship secret.
Summary
“They” (2025) follows Lyudmil, a university professor beginning a new position, and Miho, the older chairman of his department. Set over the course of a single day, the film observes their professional encounters and the subtle intimacy that develops between them as they navigate the routines and pressures of academic life. Miho is pulled in several directions by workplace expectations, social obligations, and family responsibilities, while Lyudmil must find his footing in an unfamiliar environment and determine how openly he can live according to his own feelings. Rather than relying on melodrama, the film builds its emotional tension through silences, glances, and small gestures. The contrast between Lyudmil’s uncertain arrival and Miho’s established but increasingly complicated life gives their connection a restrained, watchful quality. Their relationship exists within a world where reputation and convention still carry considerable weight, requiring both men to weigh personal happiness against the risks of being seen. At its center, “They” is a quiet drama about desire, secrecy, and the compromises imposed by social expectations. It explores the difficulty of maintaining an authentic emotional life while performing acceptable roles at work and within the family, as well as the loneliness that can persist even amid everyday social contact. Patient and intimate, the film focuses less on declarations than on the gradual recognition of a bond that both characters approach with tenderness and caution.
