Our take
A nostalgic look at ’90s Belarus brings to bear a sharp generational divide. Evalina is a young DJ living in Minsk with her mother, but dreaming of Chicago, the birthplace of House music. Her attempts to gain a US visa land her in a small factory town, where the tensions between her modern lifestyle and old-time traditions boil over.
This promising debut from director Darya Zhuk features a mesmerizing palette of saturated colors and some striking shots calling to mind the work of Douglas Sirk, a star-making turn from lead actress Alina Nasibullina, and a dry wit that keeps the film lithe. At times, the somewhat heavy-handed script gets in the way, but Zhuk’s vivacious filmmaking is a pleasure.
The story
Minsk, Belarus, 1996. Velya, an aspiring DJ, wants to move to Chicago to make her dreams come true, but bureaucracy, a phone line and the human condition will put obstacles in her way that will be difficult to avoid.
Elsewhere
"[Crystal Swan] is so effective at capturing the hopefulness of someone who's seized by the promise of a better life, and the desperation she feels when that promise starts to slip through her fingers."
— David Ehrlich
"While some nuances may go over the heads of international audiences, its core social and economic frustrations are universal ones, driven by Velya's fundamentally sympathetic wanderlust."
— Guy Lodge
The details
