Żywie Biełaruś!

I was aware of Belarusian totalitarianism, but until I saw this movie, I wasn’t able to find a deeper connection to this country. Hats off for being able to write such a story. It’s basically nothing more than a human story about a boy who gets taken down by a regime, therefore it’s a similar story as those created during totalitarianism in Czechoslovakia. The only difference is that while it’s all in the past over here, it’s harsh reality of the present times in Belarus. I must pay my respects to the director for having the strength to tell such a story. After the viewing, the movie had an even greater impact on me when the director passionately told us about how it’s practically all true. That makes it harder to even imagine it all. Don’t even get me started on the fact that it was hard for the Belarusian actors to even manage to shoot such a movie in their country. Truly, hats off! The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because I got a little bit lost in that Belarusian jungle from time to time. While we complain about our president being a caricature, we must realize that things can always get worse. I must thank the 3Kino movie festival for letting me view this movie. (06/11/2016)