8 de agosto

I haven't seen many Russian movies, so I don't have the background of some of the other reviewers. But I found the political propaganda element of this movie tiresome. The Wikipedia article about the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 states that the shelling was started by the Russian-backed, South Ossetian separatists, and that the ethnic cleansing during the war was also done by South Ossetians as opposed to Georgians. As I watched the film, I got tired of seeing Georgian soldiers without faces- wearing black face masks and goggles to remove the human element. All the Russian soldiers had their faces uncovered throughout the movie, and showed all the different emotional shades of their unwavering bravery, hulk-like strength, and a deep compassion for children, puppies, and hot women.

I think the take-away from this movie was supposed to be something like "Outnumbered and with the odds stacked against them, the Russians somehow managed to pull out a victory from the Russo-Georgian war, which they were forced to intervene in because of a looming humanitarian crisis and the inhumane brutality of the Georgian military." While this message was entertaining at first, by the end it was just plain irritating. I enjoy subtlety. The more overt the propaganda element got, the more angry I was at Russia by the end of the film, for lying to me and for being a bully with a massive modern military that invades other countries, annexes them, and then lies to everyone involved with such blatant lies that it leaves you utterly bewildered as to what to do about the gross injustice of it all.

One of the things about American propaganda films, such as "Lone Survivor," is that it at least ATTEMPTS to tell the truth from both sides of the coin. There is no way America could get away politically with its wars if the movies didn't tell the truth about them to assuage our conscience (c.f. "Green Zone"). Apparently Russia not only wages unjust wars, but its movies about them are just plain lies.

I gave this 3-star humanitarian travesty of a film 6 stars for the special effects. The combat scenes are believable and entertaining. Seeing the Russian military in action makes me glad we're not at war with them.

Movie is about the 2008 August War or Russo-Georgian War. The war action sequence were okay but the story sequences towards the end felt very draggy and long winded. Just get to the story already! Jeez.

Of course this movie is a propaganda, but a very good one. That's how propaganda movies should be made! The movie is not about the message that is shouted in your face, but rather about how it makes you feel - at the right time, for the right reason, with the right character. I liked pretty much everything about this movie - the script, the dialogs, character development, action scenes. I've read some concerns about main girl character who's acting did not seem to be convincing early in the movie, but I think it was done on purpose, as a contrast, to show that behind urban glamour still hides Russian Woman that was praised in the world art and literature. Thus dedication of the movie to the mothers. Bottom line is: at last we see some nice action drama coming from Russia that we would not be ashamed of. Highly recommend.

More than 10 years have passed since the events of August 2008. I remember well how I was returning to Moscow along the Minsk highway when I heard a radio message with an alarmed intonation: "Georgia has started military operations on the territory of South Ossetia."

I have seen and heard about the film of Janik Fayziyev more than once. My expectations almost matched what I saw on the screen, barely holding back tears in particularly emotional scenes. The young director did a decent job, successfully embodying bold and creative ideas. One of them is a story about a boy who dreamed of robots-as an inseparable line from the general plot, which in fact became the center in the abyss of the main events. It is worth noting that the young actor did not play, but lived his role even in those silent moments when he, cowering under the table, looked through his mother's messages on the phone.

Separately, I would like to say thank you to Janik for the theme of maternal love, vividly reflected in the picture. The film left mixed touching feelings, reminding again of eternal values...

P.S. When the first time the film was turned on in the company of friends, they did not perceive the first minutes with animation and with exclamations like "what nonsense", "children's cinema", "is this the whole movie going to be like this?". As a result, the viewing was stopped. And for some reason I was offended that the picture is judged by the first minutes. But it is not for nothing that they say that if you are waiting for something good, it will definitely come to you. And so it happened (and the very next day). Someone suggested that we watch the movie after all. But the most interesting thing is that as you watch it, everyone who was nearby gathered at the screen. And outside, in the light of Sunday morning, spring was waking up, and the sky, our common and peaceful, blinded everything around with its bright, vast blue...

Don't be fooled by many movie posters featuring giant robots into believing the film is about giants, or giant robots. It's not. Well, partly, I guess.

Tyoma is a young boy who likes playing video games. He often lives in a fantasy world envisioning giants and robots. The film itself is realistic, though, and not fantasy or about super-heroes. Kseniya is a single mother, but still has contact with Tyoma's father, Zaur. Wanting to take a vacation with her new boyfriend, Yegor, Kseniya agrees when Zaur asks for Tyoma to come live with him for a while in the village of Sidamonta in South Ossetia.

Shortly after Tyoma arrives in Sidamonta, news breaks of a war and Sidamonta becoming a conflict zone, and Kseniya desperately wants Tyoma sent back home. When Zaur refuses, she decides to journey to Sidamonta herself. The bus trip to Tskhinvali was incredible! I don't want to ruin the movie if you haven't seen it, so I won't go into detail, but it was stunning.

The rest of the movie sees Kseniya trying to get to her son, while war comes closer to home. 'August Eighth' is an incredible film with amazing visuals, beautiful cinematography, and jaw-dropping action sequences. It is fast-paced and thrilling and there literally never is a dull moment. Svetlana Ivanova did a great job as Kseniya.

The final act might not be believable, but hell, it certainly was entertaining! 'August Eighth' is well worth seeing, if you don't mind subtitles. This is definitely among my favourite Russian films.