Klondike

I watched this at the SIE Center in Denver. I'm not a movie buff and was invited by a friend. The nuances that the film maker is able to capture are amazing: the strong desire by the main character to simply just live, how they're stuck between two opposing sides, but don't want to be in the war...and have no choice, the lack of resources, the lack of control, etc.

I'm not usually a long take person, but I felt the confusion and lack of information that each of them had so palpable as a result. It made me realize what war would be like for me personally if it were ever to come to Denver, to my block, to my house. I love my house and leaving it would be incredibly tough. The subtleties were all captured.

The acting was amazing and I was impressed by the final scene. Without giving it away, it looked so realistic.

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

When I first heard about this at Sundance, I didn't know what to think about it as I have never seen a movie from Ukraine before and this was a weird synopsis. However, after viewing it, it's very clear that Maryna Er Gorbach has a great future of making possible masterpieces of Ukraine cinema. Gorbach offers such an brutal look of the political situation between Ukraine and Russia through the lens of a couple struggling to go on with their days. Throughout the movie, there are many incredible long but realistic takes of characters walking around and speaking which really helped to add the realism and brutal nature of what the characters were facing. All performances were amazing and the characters felt so real as if you are really witnessing them going through this troubles.

The execution is perfectly made as it shows that Gorbach really cares about her craft. Beautiful sound designs and there were some moments that made me feel really uneasy but in a good way. The feeling of uneasy because it was quite brutal and hard to stomach at times. Pacing did drag a little but it wasn't something that ruined my entire experience with this movie.

Rating: A-

It kept me in suspense while watching the movie.

A story familiar to Ukrainians before the full-scale invasion, and familiar - after.

You watch a movie, and you realize that Ukrainians are different, even though they were born on the same land. And you often ask yourself the question: why are we so different?

Personalities are always interesting to watch. How they show their character in different situations. Why do feelings control them?

You want to watch the emotional life of the characters. You want to worry for them, to believe. Ukrainians are not immigrants, we are in our own territory. This is our land!

The film, for long moments will frame its characters in front of large landscapes, the camera mostly fixed, giving the subjects lots of time to work out their conflicts while in the background ominous situations creep in. This gives a strong sense that talking about problems has its limit, and that time is running out. Our protagonist lets her husband decide her faith, when she knows he lacks understanding and control. She hopes he will provide and secure a future for their forming family, when he only sees a false image of what a man is ; to stand with the ones who subjugate. She is stuck in a standstill, unable to accept the imminent danger facing her.

This story illustrates with righteous confidence the importance of swift and crucial action for self preservation, beginning with recognizing those who want to inflict harm, then moving away towards safety. A beautiful tragedy that builds tension perfectly, and strikes its audience with an unquestionable ending.

.... so intensely in this film of the situation in 2014 in Donbas region. This family does not want to be part of the war but is forced to deal with the situation of factions in their small town, on their farm. The leads are all marvelous in their roles; the screenwriting, direction, cinematography, all outstanding. I saw it just today at the Alameda International Film Festival and someone said -- "can all of our political leaders be made to watch this?" The dedication was to the women of Ukraine and I definitely feel as if this was a women's war film-- contrasting with another film made also in 2022 where there were almost no women to be found.