Alyia is a successful 36-year-old independent woman, not concerned that the bank she worked for has just collapsed. 5th time lucky, she wins the green card lottery, and now has 6 months to say goodbye, pack, leave, and report to the U.S.
Among the people she will be leaving are her ailing mother, her Muslim-married sister whose husband has just taken a 2nd wife, the woman she is having an affair with, and her bourgeois queer friends. It is late November, days before First President's Day in Kazakhstan, when patriotism is rampant, such as vows to learn the Kazakh language rather than speak the imposed Russian. But the portrait the director paints, either by speeches or by action, is that Kazakhstan is corrupt, bribery and nepotism is rampant, and misogyny is common.
The problem with the story is that the elements seem forced, just to get to the conclusion. For example, why does Alyia start by trying to sell her car? Because it can drive the required story later, not because it would happen in real life.
Among the people she will be leaving are her ailing mother, her Muslim-married sister whose husband has just taken a 2nd wife, the woman she is having an affair with, and her bourgeois queer friends. It is late November, days before First President's Day in Kazakhstan, when patriotism is rampant, such as vows to learn the Kazakh language rather than speak the imposed Russian. But the portrait the director paints, either by speeches or by action, is that Kazakhstan is corrupt, bribery and nepotism is rampant, and misogyny is common.
The problem with the story is that the elements seem forced, just to get to the conclusion. For example, why does Alyia start by trying to sell her car? Because it can drive the required story later, not because it would happen in real life.