A naive and delusional street musician invites a girl to meet his puppet “parents,” triggering a spiral of violence that forces him to confront a childhood trauma he never escaped.

SYNOPSIS:

Nicolas (22) dreams of being a normal guy with a family — just living at home with his parents, enjoying nice weather, and the company of his beloved cat. But the trouble is, Nicolas lost his parents in a car accident — only seven-year-old Nicolas survived. Though physically unharmed, his mind has never fully recovered. Now, Nicolas lives with life-sized puppets, convinced his parents are still alive.

He plays music in an underground passage to earn enough money to feed his "family" and his beloved cat. But it's difficult when your performance is interrupted by a nervous tic — another lasting effect of his childhood trauma. Passers-by rarely give him money due to his erratic playing. Still, Nicolas never loses his optimism and greets everyone with a smile. He especially likes Dasha (20), a charming girl who sells pastries in the same underground passage — the best pastries in town, at least Nicolas is completely convinced of that.

Nicolas isn’t bothered that Dasha already has an admirer — Max (25), a rough guy from the neighborhood. One day, Nicolas bravely asks Dasha out. Dasha agrees, mostly to make Max jealous, as he's not particularly gentle with her. Encouraged by the date, Nicolas decides to introduce Dasha to his parents.

The moment she steps into his apartment, Dasha is horrified. She realizes Nicolas is not just odd— he’s mentally unstable and potentially dangerous. Screaming, she runs out, dropping her phone in panic. Outside, she bumps into Max and his friend Dan, who've been following them. Angered by the situation, Max decides Nicolas must be taught a lesson.

Bursting into Nicolas’s apartment, Max and Dan mockingly dance around with the puppets, play Nicolas’s melodica, and ultimately beat him senseless.

Nicolas wakes up broken in every way, surrounded by torn puppets and a photo of his long-lost parents. Due to the immense shock, his mind finally confronts reality — he vividly recalls his parents, the accident, and fully realizes that they’re gone forever.

He picks up the shattered pieces of his puppet parents, packs them in a bag, and finds Dasha’s phone lying beneath the cupboard. The next morning, as usual, he goes to the underground passage. Ahead of him walks a policeman. Seeing him, Max and Dan start running away suspiciously. However, the policeman calmly approaches to buy pastries, only then noticing the strange behavior of the fleeing guys and deciding to investigate further.

Nicolas approaches Dasha, returns her phone. Dasha realizes Nicolas doesn’t say anything to the police. She misjudges him — he can report the beating and give them her phone, but he doesn’t. Her future depends on him, yet he chooses not to punish them. She starts to cry and runs away. Nicolas takes his usual place. For the first time in a long while, Nicolas plays the melodica clearly, free from any tic and delusion.

UNDERPASS