Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors

Plot summary

Similar in subject to and perhaps inspired by the novel Through The Looking Glass, the film centers around an encounter between a girl named Olya Yukina and a mysterious counterpart, Yalo, while staring into a mirror. The characters are exact opposites: Yalo is the absolute opposite of Olya in every way. Where Yalo is organized and precise, Olya is careless and absent-minded. In the story, Olya steps through the mirror into the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors where Yalo resides. The kingdom, under the rule of King Yagupop LXXVII (reverse of Popugay, meaning parrot - Torrap) produces crooked mirrors that brainwash its people through subtle changes in reality. When Yalo's friend, a man named Gurd (reverse of Drug, meaning friend - Dneirf), is suddenly imprisoned for refusing to make crooked mirrors by the evil leaders "Anidag" (reverse of Gadina, meaning snake - Ekans), "Nushrok" (reverse of Korshun, meaning Kite (bird) - Etik) and "Abazh" (reverse of Zhaba, meaning toad - Daot), Olya decides to accompany Yalo to rescue him.

They meet a character who introduces herself as Aunt Aksal (reverse of Laska, meaning weasel - Lesaew), the King's chef, who in order to help them reach the king and save Gurd, disguises them as pages of the king. On meeting the king, Anidag, Nushrok, and Abazh reveal themselves to be the actual powers behind the throne. The latter half of the story focuses on their ultimate defeat and the rescue of Gurd. The kingdom's mirrors are returned to normal, and its society becomes free. Olya at last returns to her home and lives happily ever after with her grandmother.

The story has been suggested to be directed at the perceived hypocrisy of western nations in attacking the Soviet propaganda machine during the cold war.

Cast