Lives, no, screams in the same sandbox as Come and See. A family is forced to play their instruments as they watch their house burn down, set aflame by Nazis. The tragedy knows next to no bounds, but as Ilyenko is wont to do, he layers on “unfitting” music. At times it can compliment in unique ways while others it serves as a provoking juxtaposition.
I also observed a starkly prominent Ilyenko motif which appeared in the previous film, The Eve of Ivan Kupalo. He uses window frames to present close-ups with striking effect. Here, the close-up of Dana through the window frame is obscured by frost. Her image is almost crystalline.
This film was a step up in production values and depsite its relatively shorter runtime, I’d class this in epic category because of the timelapse and grandiosity of the family’s tragedy.
Finally, special mention must be made of the featured clocks. The father explains each clock is for each nation which has ruled them. Clocks, or more specifically the economy of time, is a woefully underexplored topic of power dynamics. It is extremely rare to have that kind of commentary. It illuminates, in a whole new light, how controlling parties influence and control us.
Lives, no, screams in the same sandbox as Come and See. A family is forced to play their instruments as they watch their house burn down, set aflame by Nazis. The tragedy knows next to no bounds, but as Ilyenko is wont to do, he layers on “unfitting” music. At times it can compliment in unique ways while others it serves as a provoking juxtaposition.
I also observed a starkly prominent Ilyenko motif which appeared in the previous film, The Eve of Ivan Kupalo. He uses window frames to present close-ups with striking effect. Here, the close-up of Dana through the window frame is obscured by frost. Her image is almost crystalline.
This film was a step up in production values and depsite its relatively shorter runtime, I’d class this in epic category because of the timelapse and grandiosity of the family’s tragedy.
Finally, special mention must be made of the featured clocks. The father explains each clock is for each nation which has ruled them. Clocks, or more specifically the economy of time, is a woefully underexplored topic of power dynamics. It is extremely rare to have that kind of commentary. It illuminates, in a whole new light, how controlling parties influence and control us.
