What can a single, ordinary entrance tell us? In Lusine Sargsyan’s debut film, it becomes a silent witness to decades of pain, hope, loss, and quiet coexistence. Based on five short stories, The Abode transports the viewer to the 1990s — a time when the history of both the country and individuals was changing at a dizzying pace.

The film bridges past and present: we see both archival footage from the ’90s and the modern-day reality. The stairwell remains the only place where neighbors still encounter each other. More rarely do we visit one another’s homes — more often, we merely greet in the dim stairwell.

The Abode marks not only the directorial debut of Lusine Sargsyan but also the first step into cinema for dozens of actors and cinematographers. Among them are Larisa Gevondyan, Hermine Stepanyan, Inga Zahalaryan, and two cinematographers: Arman Musaelyan and Artak Tadevosyan. Despite their first-time experience, the team achieved a remarkably cohesive result.