Swan Lake: The Zone

A convict on the run is looking for somewhere to hide. The place he takes shelter in is the inside of a huge hammer and sickle monument. There a closeness forms between him and a woman who works nearby. Her jealous young son spoils it. In the end the convict makes a hopeless attempt at freedom. The film sets confinement beside the sight of swans. The screenplay was written by Sergei Parajanov, who had himself been imprisoned for four years by the Soviet authorities. The shooting was done in and around the facilities where he was held. The work is counted the first independent international coproduction of post-Soviet Ukraine. Yurii Illienko’s ninety minute film, a joint Canadian, Soviet and Swedish production, was completed in 1990.