The Flight

The narrative unfolds in the late stages of the Russian Civil War. As the Red Army advances into Crimea, a sweeping exodus of the ex-elite follows, framing their diaspora across European cities. Constantinople and Paris become temporary worlds of poverty and survival. The story culminates with a longing to return to Soviet Russia, despite the dangers that await there.

The Flight traces movement across key locales shaped by upheaval. It begins with the Red Army pressing into Crimea, forcing a retreat of former elites. The fugitives flee by train to Constantinople, then voyage on to Paris, experiencing precarious exile and a sharp drop in social status. Their return to a homeland they idealize becomes a central, elusive ambition.

🪖 War and Exile

The film centers on a society uprooted by the Civil War’s closing chapters. Former elites are stripped of power and forced to flee across borders, living on the margins of foreign cities. Survival and memory collide as characters navigate loss, displacement, and the cost of escape.

🕯️ Memory and Guilt

Haunted by the war’s violence, Khludov carries the specter of his orders and the people he executed. The narrative uses dreams and memories to probe how past crimes shape present choices and fracture a sense of self.

🧭 Displacement and Class

Exile erodes the comforts of former status, pushing aristocrats and intellectuals into poverty in foreign cities. The story explores how social change redefines identity, loyalty, and dignity when wealth and influence become unreliable currencies.

🏠 Home and Return

Golubkov and Serafima cling to the idea of returning home to a Russia that promises belonging and redemption. Their journey back to Soviet soil captures the tension between longing and danger, revealing how the idea of home can outshine the harsh realities of exile.