Crystal Swan Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
In Crystal Swan you’ll meet Velya, an aspiring club DJ living in Minsk who doesn’t fit in Belarus. So she tries to get a U.S. visa to go live a better life abroad. The only problem is that she doesn’t have a respectable job to put on her visa application. So she puts down a fake job and adds a fake telephone number. However, when the visa officials say they will call her to confirm her application, she goes on a journey to rural Belarus to track down the number and try and make her American dream come true.
From: Belarus, Europe
Watch: Trailer
Next: Ladybird, Volver, Run Lola Run
Why Watch Crystal Swan?
- Experience life in rural and urban Belarus
- Appreciate how long the visa process is in many countries across the world just to visit your country
- Meet a girl who doesn’t fit in (think Ladybird)
- For comedy with a dark streak
The Breakdown
Crystal Swans starts in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. It’s where we meet a blue haired girl, Velya, who’s being heckled by fellow male passengers for looking like a clown. She doesn’t fit into Belorussian society. She’s an aspiring DJ who works in the strangest looking nightclubs, and is not the typical – grow up, get married, have a kid – woman that fits into Belarus.
So what does she do? She tries to apply for a U.S. visa to escape to a country which (in the movies) is free and open. A place where she can be whoever she wants to be without being judged. The only problem is, she puts down the wrong phone number on her visa application in which she claims to be one of the managers of a rural crystal factory. So she tracks down the number to a rural village a few hours drive from Minsk to make sure she can answer the call and confirm her fake credentials.
However, in the rural town, the family which the phone number belongs to is busy with a family wedding. She’s stuck there with no money (she spends it all on the phone bill to reactivate their line), no friends, and nothing to do.
The Patriotic Divide
Velya obviously doesn’t fit into Belorussian society. But that doesn’t mean that others are happy to hear that she is looking for a better life somewhere else. Everyone she meets in the rural town and her mother in Minsk chide her for wanting to leave her ‘homeland’. They look at her as snobby for trying to leave. It’s as if she’s saying that they and their lives are not good enough for her.
They don’t try and understand how she feels, or ask about her background (something that we, the viewer, can see). Or maybe it’s because they have also wanted to leave Belarus but because they haven’t been able to leave or find a better life, they stubbornly want to hold the younger generation in the country too. It’s a ‘I couldn’t do it, so why should you’ argument’ – an argument that fosters bitterness and resentment.
What to Watch Next
Firstly, if you’re looking for another great film with a female protagonist and a ‘fish out of water’ story, check out Ladybird.
Secondly, I strongly recommend checking out Pedro Almodovar if you liked this film. His films often feature women in the main roles and are often comedies with darker undertones. Start with Volver and All About My Mother.
You could also check out Czech film Cosy Dens if you’re looking for more Eastern European humour.
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