Klondike

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!

.... 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.

You know what's going to happen here yet you watch it for the strong character that leads Klondike with her family who are suddenly finding it difficult to exist. There's levity in the proceedings that make you really wonder what is all this for. With excellent performances and haunting visuals, Klondike kept me hooked and made me morose at the same time. The visuals are so stunning you almost believe you are at the Ukraine-Russia border. The worse part is that you dear for your life too. Interestingly, at the IFFK this year all I have seen so far are tragedies.

(Watched at the 2022 International Film Festival of Kerala in Trivandrum.)

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.

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.