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I hope you would not watch this movie and save both your time and positive image of Ukraine, and one of its prominent talents in particular. I'd like to praise its soundtrack score, as modern musicians have shown their abilities the best, out of cheap budget, horrendous acting and disgusting writing they've managed to pull a few bearable tributes to "Skryabin" (not Ukrainian classic composer, but 90s synthy-pop band). The latter, being first goth scene success after restoration of independence has gained cult status and following of various degree of influence on mine and other generations of Ukrainians, which might explain suspiciously high rating so far. However, the writer of original book's personality is deserving a mention, as Andriy Kuzmenko has not just led the band as a singer, but also published more mature fiction and demonstrated versatile and impactful cultural creativity also as a TV-host, reality show participant, producer of successful and popular bands, etc. Together with Alexander Skryabin (yes, that's how their band got named), Andriy (nicknamed Kuzma after his last name) have fired the remaining founding members of their band and pivoted from alternative to pop music after recording a Manifesto song in early 2000s. After that, the band was earning riches and wider audience by spreading Russian propaganda against Maidan until the first days of war in 2014, when many Ukrainian artists have supported our Motherland and its Freedom fighters. The band Skryabin was replaced by Kuzma touring with vehemently humorous and energetic anti-occupation message, and have died shortly in a car crash while returning from a volunteer trip from the frontline. This has cleared his name and earned him a monument erected in heart of Lviv (capital of his native region). Thus, I guess, the fate of government grant for movie was sealed. However, in addition to above mentioned flows, the easy reading teenage road story selected has suffered plot changed potentially to worse. For example, the mafia, encountered at the Ukrainian border in the book meet their demise, while movie leaves this adventure unfinished, or take the Marijuana smuggling - its recent legalization in Germany does not make the supporting character's actions acceptable to Ukrainian audience, etc.

Let me try to brief you of less known to the westerners features of this award-winning movie without spoilers: if you are wondering what kind of people could perpetrate the atrocities in Bucha and other corners of the world starting 1917, you need not look any further, your only challenge will be to not look away, as this is a masterpiece of different kind of snuff, where the gruesome is not graphic and loud but the untold, or rather - expressed via multimedia art.

While the majority of art-house is aimed at niche audience the topic so serious deserves mass audience, here the writers of "Soyuz 7" (space blockbuster based on real events) in collaboration with the editor of such marvels as "Dancer in the Dark" and successful Russian music act Shortparis, who have shot to stardom while keeping their underground roots, to produce an experience seldom found since 1990s: a mass-counterculture blockbuster similar to "Natural Born Killers" or "Naked Lunch"... you name it.

So, they've teamed up with Shortparis who are a successful performance act with a versatile history of antiputin protest and a desire to build upon their eye-candy music videos and ready aesthetics one can see in their flicks for "Govorit Moskva" released right before 2022 and up to "HOBOE HOBOE" which set resembles the "crazy credits" of "Volkonogov's" to make "Polyushko-Pole" the only ubiquitous sound-track of it. This eerie rendition of an ominous folk song dedicated to "Our great combat flag/farewell to drafted boy" sounds prophetic after February 24th of 2022, but is equally subconsciously unnerving as a track for grim ballet performed by young men in red/black "visual-key"-like uniforms as entertainment but resembling a dark ritual. And this ritual does render a vision from hell literally for protagonist, as it serves for viewer as a part of stylish picture of insane totalitarian society where the oppressed population toils under impending doom with everyone potentially a subject to death of unpredictable level of violence.

However, in order to see this, you will have to dive into the depth of contradicting Russian symbols where the visuals taken both from Soviet classics and recent art, are combined with decaying human side of life obvious in the buildings of seemingly recently refurbished former Imperial capital and puppet-like servitude of its citizens.

The first third of 2 hour long movie builds up conditions for protagonist to snap out of this nightmare consuming his soul in progressively horrible sins, and if you are tired of clip-like flicks like "Run Lola, Run" just watch a music video of Avatar "Bloody Angel" paying attention to its lyrics.

Then, the main character turns to seek forgiveness of his (honest at first) wrongdoings while being chased by ex-colleagues. Thus movie has enough plot to entertain the viewer while rendering the most striking episodes of non-fictional book "The GULAG Archipelago" by Noble-prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the manner similar to other dissident writer Vladimir Sorokin. Interestingly, the latter was among first targets of Putin's repressions, and (similarly to this movie forbidden in Russia along with many others) has grown into writer of dystopian parables opposed to current regime...

As this is the first ever Ukrainian comic book adaptation, I double its score, otherwise it is advised only for hardcore trash or Ukraine fans. The only decent scene is "werewolf's" transformation by the end, and the predictable plot is barely saved by a mildly surprising twist. The "evil returns" promise at the end kinda reminds 80s, but overall meagre 1 000 000 USD budget due to movie being completed during the war spells failure. Otherwise this fragmented work never delivers its promising premise: it's neither Sin City, nor Tarrantino :( If you are into best Ukrainian war movies, check "Nashi Kotyky", if period fantasy then "Infernal Guidon, or Cossack Christmas" as for historical "Escape from Stalin's Death Camp" (only non-trash listed here). For Ukrainian Ed Wood check out Lybomyr Levytski's "Tini nezabutykh predkiv" or other recent works.