
IndustrialcityofNorilsk:factories,cold,chemicalair.Theonlydesireofyoungpeoplelivinghereistoleave,againstallodds.Adocu-style,emotionally-drivendramaaboutayounggirldesperatelyfightingforanescapewhichissoblurry,andforlovewhichissoinsecure.<br/> Duetoitsvastindustrialareasandenormousindustrialoutput,theRussiancityofNorilskhasbecomeoneofthemostpollutedplacesintheworld.However,despitethepersistentecologicalcrisis,theseverenorthernclimateandharshlivingconditions,lifegoesonthereinitsownextreme,aswellasroutine,way.Butthewilltolivethatsuchanexistencefostersisactuallythewill,orratherthedream,toescape,especiallyforayounggeneration.Adesperate,hardlypossibledreamthatmovesandtrapsitsadherents,turningagainstthem.<br/> Norilsk,withitsarcticlandscapes,hugefactories,anonymoussovietarchitectureandpost-sovietcapitalism,isthegrippingbackdropandimportantprotagonistofTheHopeFactory,thefirstfeaturebyNataliaMeschaninova,ayoungfilmmakerwithanextensivebackgroundindocumentaries.Adramaticcoming-of-agestoryabouttwogirls-tworivalswhopursuethesamegoalofleavingtheirhomelandbutwhotakedifferentstepstoreachit,testingtheblurringboundariesofmoralityandtransgression.<br/> Restlesslyshotonahand-heldcameraandgenuinelyperformedbymostlyfirst-timeactors,thiskineticdocudramanearlygetsundertheskinofitscharactersandraisesuniversalissuesaboutthe'ageofblooming'.


