Butterfly Vision (2022)
(Bachennya metelyka)
Country: UKR/CRO/CZ/SV
Technical: col 107m
Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Cast: Rita Burkovska, Lyubomyr Valivots, Myroslava Vytrykhovska-Makar
Synopsis:
A drone pilot released from captivity by separatists in Eastern Ukraine adjusts with difficulty to the scrutiny that greets her on her return, to say nothing of the impact of an unwanted pregnancy on her couple.
Review:
While it seems churlish to criticise one of the first films to come out of war torn Ukraine for storytelling lapses, the absence of information at times about where, and when, we are does not help those of us with scant knowledge of the country and language. At one point Lilya is recommended a Croatian therapist to help her through, and at the end she hands her baby over to a woman from another culture: is it the same woman? We don't know. Did she even see the therapist? We don't know. A crucial scene of a Roma community being harassed by vigilante patrols in the forest is conveyed via social media footage; drone's eye views of randomly chosen sites introduce an ambience of surveillance, though to little end; pixillated flashbacks to her experiences in captivity are jarringly effective, and a fluttering butterfly seems to herald something or other. Near the end, a Kiev square which we saw severely damaged earlier in the film is as good as new: an impressive feat, but what does it portend? In the end too many questions remain unanswered and, despite Burkovska's laudable advocacy, the film drags and dissipates for want of drama.
(Bachennya metelyka)
Country: UKR/CRO/CZ/SV
Technical: col 107m
Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Cast: Rita Burkovska, Lyubomyr Valivots, Myroslava Vytrykhovska-Makar
Synopsis:
A drone pilot released from captivity by separatists in Eastern Ukraine adjusts with difficulty to the scrutiny that greets her on her return, to say nothing of the impact of an unwanted pregnancy on her couple.
Review:
While it seems churlish to criticise one of the first films to come out of war torn Ukraine for storytelling lapses, the absence of information at times about where, and when, we are does not help those of us with scant knowledge of the country and language. At one point Lilya is recommended a Croatian therapist to help her through, and at the end she hands her baby over to a woman from another culture: is it the same woman? We don't know. Did she even see the therapist? We don't know. A crucial scene of a Roma community being harassed by vigilante patrols in the forest is conveyed via social media footage; drone's eye views of randomly chosen sites introduce an ambience of surveillance, though to little end; pixillated flashbacks to her experiences in captivity are jarringly effective, and a fluttering butterfly seems to herald something or other. Near the end, a Kiev square which we saw severely damaged earlier in the film is as good as new: an impressive feat, but what does it portend? In the end too many questions remain unanswered and, despite Burkovska's laudable advocacy, the film drags and dissipates for want of drama.
(Bachennya metelyka)
Country: UKR/CRO/CZ/SV
Technical: col 107m
Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Cast: Rita Burkovska, Lyubomyr Valivots, Myroslava Vytrykhovska-Makar
Synopsis:
A drone pilot released from captivity by separatists in Eastern Ukraine adjusts with difficulty to the scrutiny that greets her on her return, to say nothing of the impact of an unwanted pregnancy on her couple.
Review:
While it seems churlish to criticise one of the first films to come out of war torn Ukraine for storytelling lapses, the absence of information at times about where, and when, we are does not help those of us with scant knowledge of the country and language. At one point Lilya is recommended a Croatian therapist to help her through, and at the end she hands her baby over to a woman from another culture: is it the same woman? We don't know. Did she even see the therapist? We don't know. A crucial scene of a Roma community being harassed by vigilante patrols in the forest is conveyed via social media footage; drone's eye views of randomly chosen sites introduce an ambience of surveillance, though to little end; pixillated flashbacks to her experiences in captivity are jarringly effective, and a fluttering butterfly seems to herald something or other. Near the end, a Kiev square which we saw severely damaged earlier in the film is as good as new: an impressive feat, but what does it portend? In the end too many questions remain unanswered and, despite Burkovska's laudable advocacy, the film drags and dissipates for want of drama.