Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers is set predominantly in Tranquillum House, an exclusive and expensive health spa located several hours outside the Australian city of Sydney. The spa is less famous and more notorious: Online reviews switch between reverential praise and abhorred criticism. The spa’s reputation divides people: Some feel healed by the house, and some feel broken. As such, the reputation of Tranquillum House symbolizes the lack of a universal treatment and the myriad different pains that humans feel. Masha wants to create a treatment regime that will heal all her guests, but the reality is that the guests have so many different problems and these problems are so infinitely complex that she’s pursuing an impossible dream. The spa’s divisive reputation symbolizes Masha’s divisive approach to healing.

The physical building symbolizes the uniqueness of Masha’s approach. Tranquillum House is isolated and difficult to find. The guests must travel many hours, often along dirt tracks, to reach the spa. Once there, they must enter through the tight security that separates the house from the rest of the world. The spa’s physical isolation is heavy with foreboding and represents the emotional isolation of the guests and the staff. Everyone in the building—from the guests to