The north Siberian industrial city of Norilsk is one of the most polluted places on Earth. This is where young Russian director Natalia Meshchaninova set her ironically titled film, a work which reflects her honed skills as a documentarist. Life in this gritty town inside the Arctic Circle doesn’t have much to offer young people. The film’s heroine, Svyeta, is well aware of this. Her eighteenth birthday is coming up and the thought of spending the rest of her days in the city where she was born is unappealing to say the least. She and her mates hang out after work drinking vodka but, unlike them, Svyeta has a clear aim in life and she is determined to achieve it at any cost. The talented debuting director has turned out a compelling, realistic coming-of-age drama about the quest for love and the desire for a better life. Using a hand-held camera, the impressive script attains a documentarist’s authenticity and is well supported by meticulous performances from the young cast.