Debut Trailer

Over 1,500 women are detained in a Belarus prison for first-time offenders. Eleven of them have volunteered to take part in a theater play. The rehearsals serve as the leitmotif for this balanced portrait that subtly frees these women from the stigma of being criminals. The women talk as mothers, daughters and wives. They miss their families and wrestle with the guilt of losing so many years behind bars. The director uses various techniques to present these women as three-dimensional characters: close-up interviews about their fears, beautifully framed shots of the daily collective routines of jail life, images from surveillance cameras that emphasize how their lives are controlled, and of course their theatrical debut. Thelong-awaited premiere of the play will take place in City Drama Theater. Prisoners will leave the premises of the prison for the first time in years just for a few hours. Relatives and family will be able to witness their debut on the professional stage. This is the opportunity for prisoners who live behind the barbed wire to introduce themselves not as criminals in front of their loved ones. By then, you almost feel as if you've landed in a feel-good movie with a happy ending, but the director doesn't let it get that far.