Calling Ukraine

No good deed goes unpunished in this madcap dark comedy from Lichtman (Such Good Work), set in 2018 Ukraine. John Turner, a down and out freelance writer in Portland, Ore., accepts an offer for a job in Lutsk, Ukraine. There, he’s expected to train a staff of five at a call center for an American rental agency on how to “sound natural.” He’s woefully unprepared; he neither speaks nor understands Ukrainian and has no grasp on the culture. He tries to befriend a developer named Serhii but loses his cool after Serhii tricks him into asking a cleaner for sex. He also flirts with one of his employees, Natalia, who is married. When he learns Natalia’s husband, Anatoly, gave her a black eye, he embarks on a harebrained scheme to protect her, thinking he can bribe Anatoly with cash. While already on shaky ground and still struggling to master basic Ukrainian phrases, John has an ill-advised encounter with Anatoly that turns on a dangerous misunderstanding. Lichtman delivers a perfect send-up of the American abroad: John isn’t just naive, he’s imperious and condescending (on one of his employees: “The way he said the word ‘misconceptions’ sounded like he was trying it out for the first time. I wanted to give him a hug”). This is devilish and energizing. (Apr.)

Correction: The character Serhii's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this review.