Krizalit (Short) | BFI Flare 2026
The need for connection in a big, unfriendly city drives two women to the edge in this universal, sad but hopeful short.
Here at OBSCURAE, we've always championed short storytelling as the hunting ground for your next favourite filmmaker – and encouraged you not to skip the shorts programme! Welcome back to our Short Film Review Series, Sweet and Short.
Being a newcomer to a city is tough – but one person can change your whole outlook. But you can never take them for granted, because the terrifying prospect of losing the person that grounds you in an unfamiliar place could split your world wide open.
In my review for Kisses & Bullets, I mentioned how important and how transformative queer camaraderie can be when you're unmoored from the familiar. For Krizalit's protagonist, Deniz, it's more than camaraderie – it's a relationship with city native Melisa.
It's not quite clear where Deniz comes from, but the importance of her connection with Melisa is obvious – as is the strain that their relationship places on Melisa. There's an imbalance – Deniz feels out of place, yes, but the freedom she finds in the city isn't available to Melisa. We see the best of times, and the worst of times – the joy of sharing simple food, and the disapproving glare of Melisa's conservative mother.
Deniz is the clear point of view for this story, and director-actor Naz Tokgöz beautifully portrays her delicate disposition. Her sad eyes are devastating from the off, telling a whole story without words. Something happened. The slow reveal of what happened forms the bulk of the story, revealing the depth of Deniz's sadness, but building to a hopeful note. The final metaphorical gesture to the continuing availability of connection and beauty really got to me.
After coming home from the screening, I asked my local Turkish shopkeeper (who, funnily enough, is also called Deniz) what ‘krizalit’ meant. It's the Turkish word for ‘chrysalis’ – and I think that's a nice metaphor for what happens in this story.
Krizalit is a universal story, told with a lot of heart and humanity, with joy and sadness, romance and tragedy. It's a great bit of filmmaking that I'd love to revisit once it's finished making its festival rounds.
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