breakitdownforme

I was very lucky to attend a sold-out screening of 20 Days in Mariupol in Boston that Mstyslav Chernov himself attended. This is a must-see, brutally honest and beautifully told documentary that portrays the naked evil and barbarity of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine from a deeply human standpoint. Chernov's voice as a storyteller is achingly Ukrainian, and the film's tone and editing evoke a sort of spiritual pain that exceeds the material destruction of war.

20 Days has a very strong edit that leaves in moments of Chernov's camera falling by his side as he's resting or unable to film: these moments add extra depth of realism and transport the audience into the warzone, not just watching some polished news report. There is almost a "found footage" quality to the edit and frantic first-person shaky cam scenes, but this film is much scarier and more disturbing than any horror movie could be because it's the truth, and to this very moment Mariupol is occupied by the same ruzzian butchers seen in this documentary.

The music and sound are another highlight-- the film ends on images of russian occupation set to a disturbing, pulse-like tone. The music throughout by Jordan Dykstra compliments the scenes greatly and elevates the film's tone, both in highly disturbing war scenes and in moments of bleak, depressing stillness.

20 Days in Mariupol is a cultural and historical document that should absolutely be shown in schools, especially in the West, so non-Ukrainian people can finally begin to understand the brutal, colonial and genocidal nature of russian imperialism. Mstyslav Chernov is nothing short of a hero in my eyes, and an incredibly brave and profoundly-spoken human being.

Watch this film and show it to as many people as you can.

I was a brand new 18 year old film student when I received word of an "internship opportunity" from D-Mak Productions. We talked and they wanted me to watch this film, which I did, and then leave it a good review, plug it on social media, and then go out and physically try to sell copies of it to the frats at my university--all unpaid, of course. They're based in Phoenix AZ and I remember asking them if I could at least visit their HQ to see what the company's all about, and they declined. Some "internship".

Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, the makers of this "documentary" about hazing wanted to exploit my time and labor to peddle their slop. It's more than a bit frustrating to see this page's high rating and positive reviews which are certainly the result of other starry-eyed young people being used to cynically advance this company's publicity.

As for the "film" itself? It has no message, no reason to exist other than to recollect and arguably celebrate some meatheads' sleazy frat nostalgia. The most confusing thing about alpha class is its tameness-- it fails to remotely shock its audience enough to be a graphic depiction of hazing, which was what the film's marketing was based on. There isn't an argument being presented about greek life. There are few, if any, thoughts at all in this "film", no doubt a reflection of the fine intellects responsible for its creation. Beyond a few mild hazing scenes there is nothing to see but pedestrian frat drama that, even as an 18 year old, felt impossible to be engaged with. They managed to make a frat hazing documentary boring-- congrats!

An utter waste of time with nothing to offer and no shortage of sleaze and questionable ethics in its intern-exploiting marketing scheme. Shame.