I am Italian and I saw the movie in Italy during a Film Festival with the director of the movie intervening for Q&As as a guest.
It was very clearly explained that this movie IS NOT a depiction of the facts of Minsk that took place in August 2020 and that it is instead a fictional story. Of course the Minsk protests were an inspiration and are the background of this story but this is NOT a documentary. Its main purpose is to show the world that dictatorships are bad and their cruelty can affect anyone in the world, even people who are unaware. The film is powerful and eye-opening, well directed in one take.
It was very clearly explained that this movie IS NOT a depiction of the facts of Minsk that took place in August 2020 and that it is instead a fictional story. Of course the Minsk protests were an inspiration and are the background of this story but this is NOT a documentary. Its main purpose is to show the world that dictatorships are bad and their cruelty can affect anyone in the world, even people who are unaware. The film is powerful and eye-opening, well directed in one take.