"The Match" is the latest Russian heroic drama based on the historical events of the Great Patriotic War in summer of 1942. The action takes place in Kiev, Ukraine, occupied by the German fascists. The premiere is shown in the Russian cinema on the eve of the Victory Day. The film depicts the story of "The Death Match", a real story about the football match between the Soviet and German teams. The game was played in the occupied Kiev in 1942. The main character, Nicolay Ranevich, is the goalkeeper of Kiev team "Dynamo" and the combined team of the Soviet Union. He falls in love with the teacher of German, Anna, who is his opponent's wife. Anna leaves her husband, the forward of the football team "Locomotive", for Ranevich in the hope of happy life with her beloved. But the German invasion into Kiev ruins their plans.
The film-makers don't leave out the theme of love, applying to deeper emotions and feelings. And it makes the film more catching and exciting. The love story is successfully interspersed with the whole gist of the film. Directed by Andrey Malyukov, the film captures the common people's fight against the fascists' cruelty and aggression, the winners' spirit. It conveys the patriotic and heroic drama of the people who have to survive in the occupied Kiev, the tragic and merciless Babi Yar, the Ukrainian collaboration, the underground struggle against the German occupation. It has a quality cast, with Sergey Bezrukov, as the hero and the stunningly beautiful Elizavetta Boyarskaya as his beloved. Ekaterina Klimova gives a spellbinding performance as the doctor in the mental asylum. The cast is well-selected and the actors' play is touching and keeps the viewers in suspense. To sum up, "The Match" is worth seeing. The film-makers give us a great opportunity to look at the historical events as if from within and get the feel of them in a full context of time. The events and the images of the characters are significant and influential. The theme of the Jews is touched upon very delicately, carefully, conveying the tragedy of people. No doubt, the film is very suggestive, gives food for thought and doesn't leave you indifferent.
