Character Relationship Map: Loveless

Characters

• Zhenya (played by Maryana Spivak) — protagonist

  Zhenya is Alyosha’s mother and Boris’s estranged wife, attempting to rebuild her life with Anton while divorcing Boris. After realizing Alyosha is missing, she joins the search, visits her mother for...

• Boris (played by Aleksey Rozin) — protagonist

  Boris is Alyosha’s father and Zhenya’s husband during their divorce. He is living with Masha, who is pregnant with his child, and is eager to separate from his old family. He participates in the searc...

• Alyosha (played by Matvey Novikov) — supporting

  Alyosha is the twelve-year-old son of Zhenya and Boris, whose disappearance drives the entire narrative. After overhearing that neither parent wants him and that they may send him to an orphanage, he...

• Kuznetsov's Father (played by Maxim Solopov) — supporting
• Masha (played by Marina Vasilyeva) — supporting

  Masha is Boris’s young pregnant partner after his separation from Zhenya. Her relationship with Boris becomes part of the family conflict, and Zhenya says she feels pity for her during an argument. By...

• Volunteer (played by Oleg Grisevich) — minor
• Anton (played by Andris Keišs) — supporting

  Anton is Zhenya’s older, wealthier partner during her separation from Boris. Zhenya spends most of the night with him before realizing that Alyosha is missing, and she later moves in with him. His rel...

• Zhenya's Mother (played by Nataliya Potapova) — supporting

  Zhenya’s Mother is Zhenya’s estranged parent and the only relative with whom Alyosha might have sought refuge. She lives several hours away, so Zhenya and Boris travel to visit her during the search....

• Masha's Mother (played by Anna Gulyarenko) — supporting
• Kuznetsov (played by Artyom Zhigulin) — supporting

  Kuznetsov is Alyosha’s friend and provides an important lead in the search. He identifies an abandoned building as a place where he and Alyosha used to hide, prompting a search by the rescue effort. T...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kuznetsov's Father → Kuznetsov (father)
• Masha's Mother → Masha (mother)
• Zhenya's Mother → Zhenya (mother)
• Zhenya's Mother → Alyosha (Family Maternal Grandmother) — She is Alyosha's maternal family connection, though no refuge is found there.

  Zhenya's mother is treated as Alyosha's only possible relative and is visited during the search for him.

• Zhenya → Boris (Family Former Spouse) — Their marriage has collapsed and is being formally dissolved.

  The plot states that Zhenya and Boris are married but divorcing while trying to sell their apartment.

• Zhenya → Anton (Romantic Partner) — Anton represents Zhenya's wealthier alternative life after her marriage.

  Zhenya has a relationship with Anton and spends most of the night with him before realizing Alyosha is missing.

• Boris → Masha (Romantic Partner) — Masha is Boris's new partner during his divorce from Zhenya.

  The plot states that Boris has a new relationship with Masha, who is pregnant with his child.

• Boris → Alyosha (Family Father) — Boris is Alyosha's father, though his conduct shows emotional detachment.

  Alyosha is identified as the son of Boris and Zhenya, and Boris participates in the search for him.

• Zhenya → Alyosha (Family Mother) — Zhenya's strained motherhood is central to the film's emotional conflict.

  Zhenya is named as Alyosha's mother and discovers that he has disappeared after spending the night with Anton.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Volunteer → Boris (Alliance Search Supporter) — The Volunteer supports Boris by organizing a broader search operation.

  The volunteer group expands the search for Alyosha after the initial response fails to locate him.

• Volunteer → Zhenya (Alliance Search Supporter) — The Volunteer provides practical support during Zhenya's search.

  The volunteer group takes over Alyosha's case and conducts searches relevant to Zhenya's family.

• Volunteer → Alyosha (Narrative Rescuer) — The Volunteer represents the organized effort to locate the missing child.

  A volunteer group specializing in rescuing missing persons takes over the case and searches for Alyosha.

• Kuznetsov → Volunteer (Alliance Search Informant) — Kuznetsov's information assists the organized search effort.

  Kuznetsov identifies Alyosha's hideout, which becomes the focus of a search by the volunteer group.

• Alyosha → Kuznetsov (Social Friend) — Kuznetsov is Alyosha's friend and provides a crucial clue about his secret space.

  Kuznetsov identifies the abandoned building that he and Alyosha used as their hideout.

Story Analysis

A missing child exposes the emotional emptiness and moral failure within a divorcing family.

Plot Progression

1. A Child Without A Home — Alyosha walks home while his parents prepare to divorce and pursue new relationships. He overhears their devastating discussion about abandoning him.
2. The Disappearance — Zhenya discovers that Alyosha has been missing since the previous day. The initial response fails to treat the disappearance as an urgent crisis.
3. Family Searching Family — The volunteers organize a wider search, while Zhenya and Boris visit her estranged mother. Their journey produces no clue and intensifies their mutual hostility.
4. Clues In Empty Places — The search expands and Kuznetsov identifies an abandoned hideout. The building search fails, pushing the parents toward the possibility of a tragic discovery.
5. The Unconfirmed Loss — At the morgue, both parents reject the unidentified body as Alyosha and collapse emotionally. Time then erases the physical traces of his former life.
6. A Trace That Endures — By 2015, Boris and Zhenya have entered new domestic arrangements, but neither achieves emotional renewal. The tape on the tree remains as Alyosha's final visible trace.