A Bit of a Stranger
World premiere: Berlinale 2024
Growing up in Mariupol during the Soviet era, Svitlana Lishchynska faced suppression of individuality. In an independent Ukraine, she struggled to find her identity, impacting her daughter Alexandra's upbringing. With four generations of women in her family, each of them faced a different political reality. As the full-scale invasion by Russia disrupts their lives, Svitlana's mother Valentina is forced to move from Mariupol to Kiev permanently, while Alexandra and her daughter flee to the UK. Svitlana remains in Kiev with Valentina and between power outages and darkness, she reflects on her past in conversations with her mother. In London, Alexandra undergoes an existential crisis, seeking solace in therapy to address resentment towards Svitlana.
A FILM BY Svitlana Lishchynska | Ukraine, 2024, 90’ | Sales: Film Harbour