Khrustal

The Crystal Swan is a well crafted film that takes you on an emotional ride through the life of a young Belarusian woman in the 90s, chasing aspirations beyond her circumstances. The main character, Sviatlana, is both relatable and inspiring, as she navigates the challenges of trying to find a better life while grappling with her identity and dreams. What I really loved about the film was its blend of humor and heartache. The cinematography captures the essence of Belarus wonderfully, showcasing both its stark realities and hidden beauties. The pacing felt just right, allowing you to really sit with Sviatlana's struggles and victories. Perhaps the movie does paint a somewhat negatively hyperbolic image of a Belorussian countryside, but it's still done quite well. The performances are also solid, especially from the lead actress, who brings so much warmth and depth to her role. You can't help but root for her as she tries to make sense of her world and figure out what happiness means to her.

All in all, it is a poignant and engaging watch that leaves you reflecting on your own dreams and the sacrifices we make for them.

This is the first official submission of Belarus to the Academy Awards in 22 years and... it's an interesting choice. I'm going to say right now that my feelings for this movie are neutral. I really liked the premise of a young woman, stuck in post-soviet Belarus, wanting to escape to the US and go to Chicago, the birthplace of House music, as she puts it. The soft-punk-like attitude and Slavic imagery give the movie a lot of colors and hype you up from the very beginning but the magic starts to dim down upon hitting the town of Crystal. The film gets a bit annoying there, displaying some pseudo-naivety from certain characters but by the end, there's a piercing bitterness that I happened to appreciate.

Overall, the film is not bad, but it is rather weak on many fronts. There are a lot of rough edges that make the watching experience not as smooth as it could of be. The main up-side to this movie would have to be the main character Evelina (often shortened as Velya), who often looks like the "spot the anime protagonist meme" when she's in the crown, and her determined, yet care-free, attitude is easy to follow.

I was a bit afraid after reading the plot (DJ girl wants to move to US from post-soviet Belorussia at any price) that Chrystal would be a movie made for Western viewers using the Soviet setting just as an exotica, but luckily, this was mostly not the case (the Lenin statues in a disco scene being a rare exception).

The movie captures the classical mood of Eastern Europe - people longing to "the West" - in a credible way, probably because Belorussians, despite living as close to Berlin as to Moscow find it still very hard to move freely to the West (I was even a bit surprised that the officials felt comfortable enough with the movie to send it to the Academy Awards).

It is somehow part of this mood that the movie could both qualify for a tragedy and a comedy: you may smile on the odd characters and small talks but it's very hard to find any character who is not having deep troubles. The makers of the movie seem to sympathize with most of them... I think even the motives of the guy who acts badly (try to avid spoilers here, sorry) are clear to everyone... no-one is pure evil nor an angel here.

I'm curious how this movie works for audiences in the US or Western Europe... for Eastern and Central Europeans (and fans of the region) it's well recommended.