Luxembourg, Luxembourg

This was my first serious Ukrainian film. So I had no expectations before watching it. Perhaps, one needs to prepare for this movie mentally in advance. There's nothing in it that would make you cover your eyes, but it feels so real. That's why I wanted to give it a 10. Throughout the film, I kept seeing my parents, myself, and my fears about the future. I don't think foreigners would even feel half of it.

Let's break it down-what were they trying to show us? Two brothers. One always obeyed his mother, tried to please her, and followed her every word. We see this in his room, filled with awards and medals, and in how he «pressures» people just like his mother does. The other brother is just like his father-not a child, but a walking problem. Always looking for money, obsessed with «ponty», stuck in the '90s. The world has changed, but he hasn't.

Though, to be honest, it felt like no one had changed. At first, I thought their struggles were because of their financial situation, but no. Remember how difficult it was for Vasil to join the conversation with his wife's father, while his brother fit right in immediately? So the issue wasn't money. These two brothers are two extremes. What I took from this story is that you need to find a middle ground.

And I had another question: Did you get the impression that the cop brother was soft, despite refusing the bribe? I usually associate people like that with having an inner core, but he didn't seem to have one.

The central theme is the relationship between parents and children. Is it that the younger generation hasn't grown up yet, or that the older generation doesn't understand them? And yet, the father, whom no one had seen in 20 years, in a way, saved one of his sons. Despite being absent, he did more good than those who were present. Neither of these brothers truly listened to themselves and what they wanted. With the mama's boy, it's obvious, but the other one? He always wanted to be like his father.

But why didn't I give it the highest score? In the first half, I couldn't understand where the story was going. It felt like the characters were walking in circles, and the plot wasn't moving forward. Yes, this film deeply impressed me, but if it hadn't resonated with my life, what rating would I have given it then?

Choosing between being the perfect cop or the perfect errand boy is up to you, but spoiler alert-neither will work out.

Years ago, a Ukrainian woman went to Bosnia, where she found a gangster husband, returned home to her small town, and had twin boys. Eventually he left town and she remarried, though there seemed to be a legacy of respect for the father that followed the boys.

Years later, the boys have taken very different paths. Kolya is a bus driver, drug dealer, and petty thief. Vasily is an upright, heavy-on-duty policeman who tries to look out for Kolya. Both are married with one child, and both are a disappointment to their family. Kolya receives a call from the Ukrainian consulate in Luxembourg, informing himthat their father had an accident and is dying, and the brothers (and their mother) debate whether to rush to his side. Vasily and mother worry that their father may just leave troubles and debts, while Kolya dreams of riches.

Already in trouble with the bus company for an incident caused by his short temper, Kolya gets into further trouble by knocking down a woman with his bus, impeding his plan to go to Luxembourg. The brothers eventually work something out.

From the CBC news story, this film was shot before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the director had to return to Ukraine to complete post-production. The theme of growing up with an absent father is coincidentally timely, given the diaspora of Ukrainian refugee families of women-and-children. This is the only film from Ukraine at the Toronto International Film Festival, and I suspect could be next year's Ukrainian entry for the Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Best dialogs. Real casting. Strong and motivated 'actors'. The whole movie can easily be split in parts to watch as reels. (why not done so?) Is highly recommended. Looking forward for the next Lukich movie!

...... Best dialogs. Real casting. Strong and motivated 'actors'. The whole movie can easily be split in parts to watch as reels. (why not done so?) Is highly recommended. Looking forward for the next Lukich movie!

...... Best dialogs. Real casting. Strong and motivated 'actors'. The whole movie can easily be split in parts to watch as reels. (why not done so?) Is highly recommended. Looking forward for the next Lukich movie!

Not bad at all. I watched this movie with pleasure and noticed the creators' great attention to detail. I'm all the more sorry that the film was disappointing in some aspects.

Minus one point for non-inclusive portrayal of people with mental disorders. There's a scene where police arrest a man who has just been discharged from a mental hospital and is beating his wife. This doesn't correspond to modern ideas about respect for differently abled people.

Minus one point for making fun of women on maternity leave. Women and men who raise small children also deserve respect, not ridicule, even indirectly.

And minus one point for the predictability of the plot. The ending was too predictable.

Reall gem! I believe this is a type of a movie you need to watch a few times to fully understand it. At the beginning of the story it seems to be a simple comedy that makes you laugh all the time but as the story evolves it gets more and more complex. And when the final credits start, you might start questioning yourself if you really understood the main idea of the film, storyline and main characters per se.

As movie is mostly based in Ukraine it will also give you a hint to understanding Ukrainians and their everyday life, some traditions, culture, but at the same time won't come across as something totally 'exotic' or something you can't relate to.