Give Me Liberty

This film is about listening to your own voice, your conscience, to remain human. Shot with a dynamic documentary camera and authentic, but non-professional actors, it has a feeling of hyper realism, even though it is a fiction film. It might be overwhelming to watch it till the end, as there are a lot of characters and storylines, but isn't it America in it's essence - the land of immigrants, who have to work hard to reach the American dream? In this day and night struggle you might be in denial about your roots, but you're always free to choose your own destiny.

A perfect surrealistic picture of life as it is. With all its diversity, sadness, happiness, loyalty, compassion and love. A film that moves you and gives you hope, makes you think and reconsider a number of things in life. Ad leaves you with this sweet feeling that in the end of the day love will save us all.

Give Me Liberty (2019) was co-written and directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky. Chris Galust lays Vic, a young man who drives a medical transport van. Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer portrays Tracy, one of his passengers. Maxim Stoyanov is Dima, a giant of a man who may or may not be what he says he is.

The problem for Vic is that he does more for his clients than just drive them--he's sort of their social worker as well. He also does more for his grandfather's friends, who are older Jewish people from Russia, and who need transportation.

As the van goes careening down the Milwaukee streets, Vic keeps telling the dispatcher "I'm going to Eisenhower." I thought Eisenhower was a highway, but instead it's the Eisenhower Center vocational training program that helps people with disabilities. Some of the scenes are shot within the Eisenhower Center, and they present the clients in a positive and respectful way. That's one of the strengths of the movie.

The film has some funny scenes, but it also has some disturbing scenes of violent interactions between police and protestors. So, although in the very basic sense it's a love story, it's not for everyone.

Give Me Liberty would work well in a theater, but it was OK on the small screen. It has a dismal IMDb rating of 6.6. It's not a great movie, but I thought that rating was too low, and rated it 8.

I have one criteria for movies: Do I believe in what's happening on the screen despite how fictional the story could be or not. Watching "Give Me Liberty" is that rare experience when you forget who, when and where you are, - that's how it draws you in and remains with you for a long time after it's over... This film - like no other modern American film raises the long overdue profound question: WHAT UNITES US AS A NATION? Is it desire to succeed? Yearning for wealth? Building a better life for our children? Freedom to own a gun? Or maybe it's tolerance and acceptance of our differences, no matter how varied our ethnic backgrounds might be - immigrants, minorities, of all ages, in sickness and health. Film director K. Mikhanovsky has charged his picture with insightful knowledge of life and cultural diversity, a sense of proportion, reality and integrity. Every instant of the movie feels unpredictable and unique, which indicates how much work was invested in the script. Any discerning film viewer with preconceived expectations will be able to find anything they desire: Comedy, drama, love, documentary, innocence, tears, bitter and funny self portrait from unusual angle, and sublime poetry... Lots of poetry...

p.s. Check out K. Mikhanovsky's first feature film "SONHOS DE PEIXE" ("Dreaming of Fish", shot in Brazil)

The pacing of this movie reminds me of Good Time. Intense anxiety and things happening rapidly. I'm a very anxious person, so it's like an anxiety attack plastered onscreen. I can see how people wouldn't like it - actually I had high anxiety watching this - but it's also a strangely pleasant cathartic feeling.

It never delves too deep into the negative aspects of their lives. The movie seems more relevant today considering current US protests, but everything is surface level. If you're looking for deep dives into race, disability, poverty, etc. this probably isn't gonna do it for you. It's like one wide brush stroke on a canvas, but it's a beautiful brush stroke.

The main character Vic often takes a backseat to the other characters, sometimes disappearing into the background. The actors playing Tracy and Dima have very strong onscreen presences, although everyone does a great job. A large portion of the cast has some type of disability, but the movie plays it matter-of-factly and doesn't try to tug on your heartstrings. As Vic's confidant says, "it is what it is".

The movie is almost 2 hours long but I didn't find it dragged at all. One event passes into the next quickly (and in response to another review, the sauerkraut was such a small portion of the movie, it's a weird thing to focus on for taking too much time). At 2 hours long, there are a LOT of events.

I volunteers with seniors and this movie very realistically encapsulates how it's like trying to keep them happy, all together, and safely sent to their destination.

A lot of the reviews are either 1/10 or 10/10, so it seems a polarizing film. I was hoping it would come out in theatres where I'm at, but it didn't. Still, go watch it at home! I think it's a lovely little underrated gem.