# Early Swallows (2019)

> A Ukrainian high school drama following a class of teenagers struggling with bullying, online manipulation, family neglect and suicidal crises.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/81243

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 40 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Yevhen Tunik
- Network: Novyi Kanal
- Cast: Viktoriia Lytvynenko, Oleksandr Rudynskyi, Mariia Smoliakova, Anastasiia Pustovit, Taisiya Shchuruk, Polina Nosykhina, Oleh Hotsuliak, Oleksandr Begma
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11632488/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: earnest, raw, harrowing, tense

## Synopsis

Early Swallows (2019-present) is a Ukrainian scripted teen drama created by Yevhen Tunik for Novyi Kanal. Set in a secondary school class in contemporary Ukraine, it follows a group of teenagers as they navigate bullying, neglect at home and the pull of dangerous online challenges. Kira Zotova (Viktoriia Lytvynenko) and Oleksii Smetanin (Oleksandr Rudynskyi) anchor a large ensemble of classmates, while Albina Kharthkiper (Taisiya Shchuruk) and Anton Shchaslyvyi (Oleksandr Begma) widen the circle of schoolyard rivalries and friendships. Each storyline pushes against the weight of absent or alcoholic parents, speech disabilities and the sense of being unseen by the adults around them. A thread about an anonymous person stalking the teens online tightens the drama into something closer to a mystery. The tone is earnest and raw, alternating between the fragile warmth of friendship and the harrowing reality of teen suicide and self harm. Running across two seasons of eight episodes each, it is a serialized coming of age drama that treats difficult subjects directly. Fans of 13 Reasons Why, Skins and Degrassi: The Next Generation will find resonance in its unflinching look at adolescence.

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