Aswang follows a group of people whose lives have been caught up in these events: a journalist who tries to make a stand against lawlessness, a coroner, a missionary brother who comforts bereaved family members, and a street kid with parents in prison and friends in the cemetery. The film is a shocking account of unprecedented violence and the moral bankruptcy of a regime that still enjoys support from voters.
Maryna, Pavel and Denis belong to an underground theatre group in Minsk, Belarus. In the course of the 2020 presidential elections, they take part in the peaceful mass protests, together with thousands of people. They narrowly escape arrest and torture. What unites them is the hope for freedom of speech and democracy.
Belarus is a country of authoritarianism, capital punishment and poverty which is fighting a ruthless war on drugs. Thousands of young people end up behind bars because of the Criminal Code’s infamous ‘anti-drug’ Article 328. When 19-year-old Diana died of an overdose of ecstasy in her boyfriend Illia’s arms, her friends were too scared to call an ambulance. Only Anton asked for help, realising that he was facing up to 25 years in prison.
