The first thing you notice when going to Babi Yar is just how close the ravine is from Kiev. So close that if the wind was right in those final days of September 1941, the city residents could almost certainly have heard the gunfire as Nazi soldiers slaughtered 33,771 Jews. Standing on the site, one wonders if the screams might also have been carried along by the breeze; if so, the cries of terror were largely greeted by shrugs or closed ears. This unfathomable indifference to human life is what Sergei Loznitsa’s “Babi Yar. Context” is meant to tackle, not as a way of coming to grips with such an incomprehensible amorality — there is no way of truly explaining an atrocity — but to raise awareness, to ensure that the memory of that event isn’t covered over like the ravine itself was after the War, when it became an inconvenient reminder...
- 7/15/2021
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.