This depicts the Holodomor, the starvation of millions Ukrainians due to policies enforced by Stalin's regime.
I always appreciate when an important story, that a lot of people don't know about, is told. In general the countless tragedies of the Soviet Union are something that we in the West should be more educated on. This is a fairly good and largely successful attempt. Given how bad we human beings can sometimes be when it comes to to appreciating the suffering of such a large group of people compared to a much smaller one, it's no surprise and probably a smart decision for this to focus on around a dozen characters(with only two clear leads) that all share some sort of relationship - family, friends... enemies. With that said, there actually being a romantic subplot, even if this is based on real people, does feel desperate.
Other than a handful of the effects shots being dodgy, the production values are solid. Cinematography and editing are competent. The film understands that with this degree of misery on display, the audience can only take so much, and keeps to a short running time. It does manage to fit in a substantial amount of different but related aspects of the suffering. Given that food shortage was what killed many of these people, it would be completely understandable if they didn't also include the persecution of those who refused to tow the party line, as well as the treatment of artists.
I recommend this to everyone who wants to know more about the horrors on the other side of the Iron Curtain. 7/10.
I always appreciate when an important story, that a lot of people don't know about, is told. In general the countless tragedies of the Soviet Union are something that we in the West should be more educated on. This is a fairly good and largely successful attempt. Given how bad we human beings can sometimes be when it comes to to appreciating the suffering of such a large group of people compared to a much smaller one, it's no surprise and probably a smart decision for this to focus on around a dozen characters(with only two clear leads) that all share some sort of relationship - family, friends... enemies. With that said, there actually being a romantic subplot, even if this is based on real people, does feel desperate.
Other than a handful of the effects shots being dodgy, the production values are solid. Cinematography and editing are competent. The film understands that with this degree of misery on display, the audience can only take so much, and keeps to a short running time. It does manage to fit in a substantial amount of different but related aspects of the suffering. Given that food shortage was what killed many of these people, it would be completely understandable if they didn't also include the persecution of those who refused to tow the party line, as well as the treatment of artists.
I recommend this to everyone who wants to know more about the horrors on the other side of the Iron Curtain. 7/10.