Hard times: a chamber drama shot in the tradition of the “moral anxiety” cinema about a prisoner of conscience in the realities of political terror in Belarus.
Belarus, 2020. Mass protests follow the elections rigged by Lukashenko. Anti-regime journalist Lena livestreams the brutal crackdown of a peaceful demonstration and is tracked down by a police drone. Nevertheless, she continues the broadcast and is arrested. Lena’s husband, Ilya, prepares an emergency evacuation abroad, but the system has no intention of letting her go. Lena and Ilya must face unbearable choices in an attempt to survive and remain true to themselves, as the regime is determined to break them both. The film is inspired by the true story of Belarusian journalists Igor Ilyash and Katsiaryna Andreyeva, who was arrested in November 2020 and is still serving her 8 years sentence.
Original language: Belarusian, Russian Subtitles: Polish