Out of frames

May in Russian university town. The scent of blooming lilacs, the bitter taste of a hurried cappuccino, and the desperate need to skip a lecture. For Oxana it was supposed to be a simple lie.

May in a Russian university. Dull lectures, the usual routine, the same old subjects. Oksana, a student of about 21, feels the pull of the warm weather, the scent of lilacs, and the spring atmosphere—and decides she needs to skip mandatory PE. The simplest solution: go to the nurse and complain of pain.

Oksana walks into the medical office. There, she meets a new doctor. Alexander Ivanovich, 27, uses the formal Russian patronymic as a symbol of authority and distance. The doctor practices integrative medicine, combining Western diagnostics with Chinese and naturopathic approaches. He insists on deep palpation, an enema, a massage.

She stayed. But why? Because she was afraid he'd call her a liar? Because she secretly enjoys obeying? Or maybe — both? You decide.