• Home
  • About Us
  • Submit Article
  • Write for Us
  • Contact Us
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
No Result
View All Result

Soyka: A Belarusian’s Emigration Sheds Light Into Thousand Others

Indie Shorts Mag Team by Indie Shorts Mag Team
06 Jan 2021
in Reviews
0
Soyka - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Over 200 million people remain displaced and migrated as per official reports. Whatever may be the reason behind their choices, the life of an immigrant is far from easy. But that’s hardly surprising. What’s new or unexplored is the internal battle, the duality of their existence and the crushing attempt to simply survive, while dreaming to flourish, that deserves thought. Writer-director Anastasiya Sergienya attempts with Soyka to address those. She presents the reality, an unabridged portrayal of bleak, often despairing times that are dealt with almost no hope in the horizon. That is Anna’s tale, that is Soyka.

Right from the beginning, the 15-minute film bears a heavy tone to it, hues of blue and red filter the scenes, offering the immediate pull to a world away from the glitz that New York is otherwise idealized for. In this bustling city, we follow Anna (Lyanka Gryu), the camera intrusively close. Countless have attempted to portray the hustle of the emigrants, but Sergienya’s Anna stands out. She is determined, but openly vulnerable, aching to make it big, but unwittingly closed. Perhaps the credit to this goes not just to the writing, but also Gryu who plays her. There is a sense of helplessness about her, but not bordering on self-pity. Gryu makes her respectable, despite the ways she is forced to practise for her own survival.

Soyka - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Valentina Caniglia’s cinematography brings Anna’s world to the peak of its halting existence, offering plenty of extra close-ups, making Anna a person whose tale we are no longer allowed to ignore. We see her sneak back into her rented apartment, the payments due, her desperation palpable. For she is penniless, rudderless — and the only hint we have to her background comes from the calls she gets from her beloved grandmother.

It’s particularly moving and noteworthy too, how unseen characters often remain the driving force behind a protagonist’s storyline. In the conversations Anna has with her grandmother, we learn of her own unfulfilled dreams and desires. The aspirations often met with desperate attempts at survival and mostly longing. It would be safe to say that Soyka rests on Gryu’s shoulders and she ably balances it. She makes Anna human and in the bargain, evokes the same in us. 

To give credit where it’s due, choreographer (Zhanna Nova), wardrobe stylist (Margaret Galvin) and hair-makeup (Elithabeth Tripp) own the second half of Soyka. When desperation takes Anna back to her old job, we are introduced to the new immigrant who has joined the workforce, a young Marina (Sofiya Rossi) and the story begins, all over again. Marina and Anna’s relationship, although accorded with only minuscule screen time is delicately approached and plays a crucial role in establishing Anna’s journey. Gryu and Rossi make their characters’ relationship effortless, and hence believable.

Soyka - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Throughout, Soyka is a visual treat, the last shot a particularly moving one, frames all the thoughts into the screen and we are left wondering for Anna and her unfulfilled journey. 

Here’s your chance to let this Belarusian’s tale reach every nook and corner.

Soyka is running a crowdfunding campaign for post-production costs at Indiegogo. Click here to support the team, learn of the perks and be a part of this wondrous journey.

#ShortFilmReview: Soyka: The fate of a million others. Click To Tweet

Watch Soyka Short Film Trailer

Soyka: A Belarusian’s Emigration Sheds Light Into Thousand Others
  • Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Editing
  • Music
4.3

'Soyka' is not yet available online for public 😕

Want to get notified when 'Soyka' is available online to watch?

Get a one time email and SMS when 'Soyka' is available online for the public. We will remove your data from our system once we sent out the notification. No Spam!

First Name
Last Name
Your email
Phone Number
Tags: PrivateReviewShort Film Reviews
Previous Post

Dope Sick: Grim Reality Of Addiction Exposed

Next Post

Dion: The Suffocating Grip Of PTSD

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Indie Shorts Mag Team

Related Posts

Fish Out of Water - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Fish Out Of Water: Mellow Look Into A Child’s Inner World

26th January 2021
2125 - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

2125: A Quarantine Much Worse

19th January 2021
Next Post
DION -Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Dion: The Suffocating Grip Of PTSD

Comments 0

  1. Pingback: Editor's Picks: 2020's Flashback In One Go! - Indie Shorts Mag

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

From Editor’s Desk

Editor’s Picks: 2020’s Flashback In One Go!

Editor’s Picks: 2020’s Flashback In One Go!

Sponsored

  • Recent Reviews
Facebook Twitter Instagram

About Indie Shorts Mag

Indie Shorts Mag is a publishing agency that works within the ‘short film circuit’. We review short films, documentaries, music videos and web series, amongst others. We stand out amongst the short film review sites for being multi-diverse & global in our platform and reach.
Our team works tirelessly to help promote, publicize and market your short films that deserve the shout-out! Besides reviews, we host film festival news as it’s a known fact that the film festival buzz is unmissable and we ensure you aren’t left behind!
We aspire to form a niche for ourselves as the ‘short film magazine’ that remains the hub for filmmakers & their audience.

Popular Topics

  • Announcements
  • Articles
  • Crowdfunding
  • Editorial
  • Film Festival News
  • Film Festivals
  • India Edition
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • Marketing
  • News
  • Online Premiere
  • Post-Production
  • Pre-Production
  • Reviews
  • Short Film
  • Short Film Competition
  • Short Film News
  • Tutorials
  • Web Series

Indie Shorts Mag on Instagram

Follow Us On Instagram

  • #ShortFilmTeaser: Clementines: Somewhere in Southern France, A Love Story⠀
⠀
Read our review and watch the short film, link in bio. ⠀
⠀
@backscatterproductions⠀
⠀
#ShortFilmTrailer #ShortFilm #SupportindieFilm #ShortFilmReview #ShortFilms #IndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmTeaser: ‘Frames: A Visual Essay’ Is A Touching Film But Unfair To Its Characters.
Read our review and watch the short film now, link in bio.

@gofly.akite
#ShortFilmReview #ShortFilm #SupportIndieFilm #ShortFilms
  • #ShortFilmTrailer: Miss Freelance: A Week Of Searching For Meaning⠀
⠀
Read our review and watch the film short film, link in bio. ⠀
⠀
@matthewkylelevine⠀
#ShortFilm #ShortFilmReview #ShortFilms #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Fish Out Of Water: There
  • #ShortFilmReview: Nene: Her life was summed up in one canvas. Read our review. Link in bio.⠀
⠀
⠀
@kinglouiefilms⠀
⠀
#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: La Jaula: Can you get yourself out of the network? Read our review and watch the short film. Link in bio.⠀
⠀
⠀
@umbra_directors⠀
⠀
#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Anna: The promise to a better life passes through hell. Read our review. Link in bio.⠀
⠀
⠀
@annafilm19⠀
⠀
#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: The Invitation (Die Einladung): Dinner could change everything. Read our review. Link in bio.⠀
⠀
⠀
@thorsten7319⠀
⠀
#ShortFilm #Review #IndieFilmReview #FilmReview #SupportIndieFilm
  • #ShortFilmReview: Yearbook: All of mankind

© 2015-2021 Indie Shorts Mag

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Submit Short Film

© 2015-2021 Indie Shorts Mag