A disservice that so few have watched this movie. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect it to be anything special, but I’m glad to report I was wrong. Great look at a tragic event.

A disservice that so few have watched this movie. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect it to be anything special, but I’m glad to report I was wrong. Great look at a tragic event.

While it is a little slow and took me several tries to get through, I really enjoy certain aspects to this! I loved the black and white aesthetic and some of those shots are hauntingly beautiful. 

In the end, Dear Comrades is about conflicted loyalties. As much as our main character wants to believe in this ideology like it’s her religion, she cannot believe in it enough to lose her daughter in the process. I loved the progression of her character from a cold, strict Communist to a more sympathetic and emotional mom, but I felt like it didn’t hit as hard as it should have. 

Either way I didn’t regret watching. You always hear about how the Soviet Union falls apart, but to see it this intimately makes you feel sad for all that is involved.

While it is a little slow and took me several tries to get through, I really enjoy certain aspects to this! I loved the black and white aesthetic and some of those shots are hauntingly beautiful. 

In the end, Dear Comrades is about conflicted loyalties. As much as our main character wants to believe in this ideology like it’s her religion, she cannot believe in it enough to lose her daughter in the process. I loved the progression of her character from a cold, strict Communist to a more sympathetic and emotional mom, but I felt like it didn’t hit as hard as it should have. 

Either way I didn’t regret watching. You always hear about how the Soviet Union falls apart, but to see it this intimately makes you feel sad for all that is involved.

“I wish Stalin would come back.” This line crashed me. Btw: it is deleted from Douban.

“I wish Stalin would come back.” This line crashed me. Btw: it is deleted from Douban.

'Dear Comrades!' is an effective and often unforgiving look at a sickening moment in human history. It's a film I find myself thinking about days after initially viewing it. There is a rich tapestry of themes in play. The film ponders what it means to serve, what it means to believe, and what an ugly truth can do to something we once held so dear. The film takes place almost 60 years ago, but its messages remain timely. In the final days of MIFF, it's very much worth the ticket. 
- Connor Dalton

Read Connor's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-dear-comrades-motherhood-versus-the-motherland

'Dear Comrades!' is an effective and often unforgiving look at a sickening moment in human history. It's a film I find myself thinking about days after initially viewing it. There is a rich tapestry of themes in play. The film ponders what it means to serve, what it means to believe, and what an ugly truth can do to something we once held so dear. The film takes place almost 60 years ago, but its messages remain timely. In the final days of MIFF, it's very much worth the ticket. 
- Connor Dalton

Read Connor's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-dear-comrades-motherhood-versus-the-motherland

Some awkward acting and clunky dialogue at times definitely takes you out of the movie at times but when it’s good it’s pretty good.

Some awkward acting and clunky dialogue at times definitely takes you out of the movie at times but when it’s good it’s pretty good.