OXYGEN STATION

In the summer of 1980, Mustafa Dzhemilev, a civil rights activist and leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement, is banished to the remote Siberian village of Zyryanka after ending a 303-day hunger strike. There, he works at an oxygen station, alongside former inmates and alcoholics, immersed in an endless routine that recalls fabled old Sisyphus. His predicament soon attracts attention from others. There's fanatical state prosecutor Yegor Shalandin, who considers Mustafa an enemy of the communist system and sees an opportunity to dispose of the stubborn activist, by gathering compromising evidence. Then there's Safinar, a brave, sensitive Crimean Tatar woman that Mustafa only knows from their correspondence, who also comes to Zyryanka, to meet her people's living legend in person. A highly symbolic tale based on a true story, told here with a nod to magical realism, the film examines existential questions regarding the nature of happiness. The life of Mustafa Dzhemilev, living in permanent exile, caught in the crosshairs of the communist regime, is a story of resistance, passion and the inexorable desire to live free.  Event-related age rating: 12