DEAR COMRADES

Yuliya Vysotskaya     Vladislav Komarov     Andrey Gusev     Yuliya Burova 

     This is a brilliant example of how blood bonds are stronger than any ideology.  Lyuda (Vysotskaya) is a dyed in the wool Stalinist who advocates against the people in the factories striking in protest of increasingly stringent policies set by the Khrushchev government.  In her role as head of the production sector on the City Committee of Novocherkassk, she resolutely condemns them, saying they should be tried and severely punished.  She has no sympathy for the clamoring crowds outside a grocery that she must shove through to get to an ally who will supply her with what she needs, and a few luxuries to boot.

     When the uprising spreads throughout the country and multiple factories join a huge strike, chaos breaks out.  And of course, as the crowds burst forward in the thousands, all Americans will be reminded of our own so very recent January 6, when Donald Trump’s followers stormed the capitol.  But fortunately for us, our January 6 dwarfed that of the USSR’s June 2, 1962, uprising when Red Army soldiers and KGB Snipers shoot guns at their own people, killing 25 and injuring 80.  In the hasty planning to address the strike, there are a few soldiers reminding government officials about the proscription of the military taking arms against the USSR’s own people, but with top leaders ordering the military to shoot, that’s what they do.  And above all the whole incident needs to be covered up.  

     So what about Lyuda during this time?  She has had a stormy disagreement with her daughter Svetka (Burova), who she fears has joined the protestors.  Their tiff ends up in dinner plates thrown to the floor and Svetka storming out of the house.  But Lyuda has her own problems to deal with, and concentrates on them, some of which test her loyalties and make her question her commitments—for perhaps the first time.  The government is adamant about keeping the rebellion quiet, to the extent it requires everyone questioned to vow they will not speak of anything they saw or heard during that time.

     As all of the elements sift down, Lyuda comes to the realization of how much her daughter means to her.  But where is Svetka?  In a surprising alliance with a KGB officer, Viktor (Gusev), Lyuda searches, following any lead that comes her way.

     Dear Comrades is characteristic of Russian movies that pit ideological systems and historic factions against one another, having all of the sturm und drang of political unrest vying against passionate love.  This feature by Andrey Konchalovskiy pulls us through a drama that will ring true in many ears.  Yuliya Vysotskaya and Andrey Gusev as Viktor the KGB agent supremely evince their characters, and the chemistry between them is right on in its initial guardedness that eventually shows their magnetic appreciation of one another.

 

An intriguing drama occurring during a Soviet uprising in 1962 that hurtles characters against one another, and demonstrates the power of an authoritarian state over its citizens.

 

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

PARADISE

Yuliya Vysotskaya     Christian Clauss     Philippe Duquesne     
Peter Kurth     Viktor Sukhorukov     Jakob Diehl

     Paradise comes from a different perspective on the ending of WWII in Germany, one in which previous leaders and a prisoner reflect on what happened from their viewpoints, why they made the decisions they did, and their regrets.  Olga (Vysotskaya) is a Russian noblewoman who joined the French Resistance and got arrested for sheltering Jewish children by Jules (Kurth), a French-Nazi collaborator with the occupying Nazis in Paris in 1942; and Helmut, a German nobleman who bought into the Nazi vision of Germany being a paradise with Aryans in charge.

     The movie depicts how these three people’s paths cross—and sometimes re-cross—in unexpected ways.  Olga and Helmut first meet at the seaside and again later at a festive occasion when she is married to a Jew.  They have a tryst, and he falls for her immediately, but she rebuffs him and doesn’t answer his letters. 

     Olga, who does not have children of her own and is part of the Resistance, ends up being interrogated by Jules after she is arrested because of her Jewish last name.  The film gives many examples of how people desperate for freedom will make desperate bargains with their captors, some for noble reasons, some for not so noble reasons.  Irrespective of Jules, Olga ends up being sent to a concentration camp, where Helmut, her admirer of years before, is now the Fuhrer’s representative sent to uncover corruption in the camps—not only perpetrated by the prisoners, but by those in charge as well.  Mostly by those in charge. 

     Helmut spots Olga just by the crook of her neck when he is on inspection, and is entranced by her just as before.  He then requests that she become his cleaning lady, which she does and a romance is lit. 

      This is one of the places where the film has value in showing the power of basic beliefs about life, and the ambivalence that arises when people are faced with situations that challenge those basic beliefs.  Helmut, who appears to be convinced that the Nazi principles are ideal, is flummoxed when he encounters their real-life effects.  His underlying beliefs are contradictory to some of his actions, and he remains in a dilemma.  Olga is shown to be noble throughout in her basic principles of love for humanity and a kind of practical view of what is best.  Jules acknowledges his mistakes, but still shows weakness and a willingness to give in to immediate gratification.  He misses the overall picture altogether.

     The biggest drawback of the film is its constant cutting from one interview and time to another, which makes it difficult to maintain a logical chronology.  This is a popular technique with filmmakers, used so many times without any reason for it.  In Paradise, when we first encounter the main characters it is not clear at all who they are and how they will fit into a story, introducing unnecessary confusion for the viewer.  Moreover, a better film title needs to be chosen; both the original “Ray” and the current “Paradise” are misleading.

     I liked the perspective Director Andrey Konchalovskiy took in presenting a view of WWII that is different from most films about the subject.  He is psychologically attuned to human motivations that are not unitary, resulting in ambivalence, and surprising turns in human decision-making.  He is in sync with cinematographer Aleksander Simonov and musician Sergey Shustriskiy in delivering a sometimes stark but very descriptive picture of humans under the stress of war.

A picture about dreams of a paradise that never comes to be, which creates horror on its way to would-be glory.

Grade:  C+                          By Donna R. Copeland