The most successful documentaries claiming to represent socio-historical experiences are capable of convincing us that what we're seeing on the screen really happened. How do they do this? What kind of evidence do they use to persuade us to accept them as truthful and accurate? Why do we believe the evidence? And what in particular about the way the evidence is presented makes us respond emotionally?
For this week's post, please watch Evgeny Afineevsky's Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom on Netflix and let me know what you did and/or didn't like about it. What primary kinds of evidence did the director include? Did you believe the evidence was accurate and truthful? Do you think the film deserved the Best Documentary Oscar nomination it got one year ago at this time? Should it have won? Why or why not?
I look forward to reading how you sort Winter on Fire out - what you liked, what you didn't like, and what it meant to you. Write whatever you want - just be sure to discuss the concept of evidence and how it impacted your feelings about the film.
And please remember: your in-depth, inspired comments need to appear on this blog by no later than midnight next Tuesday.
Happy watching and writing!
I sat down to watch Winter on Fire around midnight, fully expecting to catch maybe the first 15 minutes of it before I dozed off. Two hours later, I'm huddled around my laptop with a bowl of ice cream and quite a mix of emotions. At no point during the documentary did I doubt the events of the story or question what I was being shown. The evidence presented seemed to be in its rawest and simplest form. The entire doc was comprised of handheld footage of an unknown and "voiceless" cameraman along with talking head interviews and occasional graphics to help put visuals to what what being spoken— like understanding he geography of the area and what events were happening where. I don't know how you can get any better evidence and documentation of an event then becoming fully a part of the movement itself and joining in as a protestor. The filmmakers being brave enough to stay alongside the most extreme protestors in the most dangerous situations shows an amazing commitment to capturing the full story without any barrier or filter between the camera and the events happening.
ReplyDeleteBefore this documentary, I never fully understood the conflict in the Ukraine and how the revolution was sparked and escalated to where it's at today. It was very eye opening and caused me to feel so attached and invested in people who lived in such a different place and government than me yet felt so similar to friends and family I have here in America. I know it doesn't compare to the feeling of actually being there, but I experienced these emotions of anger, fear and despair as well as moments of hope, power and courage right along with the protestors. It was such a bewildering thought process for me seeing the malevolent actions of the police force become more and more cruel to the point where I realized that were no more rules or limits at all-- that it was simply committing evil for evils sake. Intentionally blowing up hospitals, shooting at priests and beating up the elderly is such a disturbing and dark place for humanity to go, and it totally convinced me to fight alongside the people demanding freedoms and that the Ukraine NEEDED to expel the Russian influences from their country— most of all the president at the time.
This film was pretty much the definition of 'biased,' being totally from the point of view of the protestors and never from the side of the government, police or officials. Would it be interesting to see their side? Sure, but I think that nothing you could show of them would at all be able to justify their actions and views. We’ve already captured their physical actions of senseless violence, and whatever mindset or beliefs motivate them to do so I know is already wrong and immoral, so theres really nothing major to discover or be persuaded toward. At least in America's current politics, as much as I detest Donald Trump and his values, I can at least bring myself to the patience necessary to understand where his supporters are coming from and how their genuine fears, values or upbringings cause them to have the perceptions of people that they have, although I still think they're ultimately wrong. But trying to understand people as sadistic as the police force, I don't know if there's much there anymore besides just hate and desire for power and control.
Overall, it’s quite a privilege to experience a whole revolution within a span of 2 hours— from the couple hundred that first started to gather at Maidan to the thousands celebrating their victory of the government meeting their demands. It’s sad to know that pro-russian influences are still waging war against the Ukrainians desire to be a part of the EU, and now I feel much more ‘in-the-know’ following the news about what’s unfolding there and praying for the best.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I have been sitting here trying to think of a single coherent thought for what I just saw, and I just can’t seem to find the words to express how I feel about this film.
Now, I’m not going to sit here pretending that I honestly care about politics or that I follow every bit of news feed about them. (this has nothing to do with me being a Dead Head hippie) My older sister does because she is working towards becoming a politician, and I always hear what she has to say, but me, personally, I just can’t get into them for the life of me. In my opinion, I think most things that have to do with politics end up segregating people more than uniting them. I’m not saying they are bad or anything, I just really can’t seem to get into that mindset. This being said, I would like you all to know that I do vote and I am an environmentalist, so I do have to focus on some of the issues in regards to things like global climate change, Standing rock, and other environmental injustices.
I think films like these with historical context make it easier for the viewer to believe that there are injustices out there that need to be observed, understood, and resolved. Most of the real world mishaps we see are the 2-5minute discussions we see on the news as we are eating dinner, but then we turn it off because it’s too sad and we might lose our appetites. I feel like filmmakers are able to engage the viewer with these injustices by actually being part of the crowd that is running from being beaten. I mean, from the looks of it, I think that maybe some of the filmmakers that were at Ukraine at the time were probably beaten, injured, or emotionally torn to pieces at some point in the making of this film. I think that showing people of all ages and genders dying, bombed, beaten, etc. makes the viewer kind of gasp and take a breath at the harsh reality that is in front of their screen. I mean, how often does a filmmaker literally just show a dude’s leg being shot? Or people being covered by death?
One of the best parts of the film was the interview with the 12 year-old kid. The whole time, I was in awe with his presence and his love for his freedom, but at the same time, I was wondering where the hell his parents were? I also loved that they were able to get so close with the crowd and in the tents and just really involved in these people’s lives. I think that this film should have won an oscar because of how there seemed to be no filter at all. This dude literally showed everything to us. At any time, he could have been like “oh, bro, this is like too much of a bummer to show people,” but instead, he showed us the borderline of truth, death, freedom, and vice. What greater evidence could there be other than truth? I know that our own country is going through a perplexing stage in regards to our own politics, but I am grateful that we are not in the stage of complete and utter disaster or violence. This film kind of hits home because these outbursts and revolutions could happen anywhere at any given time, and for me, that made the film all more daunting in terror and passion.
this documentary was a good film. I am used to seeing stuff like this in the news, but the fact that they were getting killed surprised me. I think it was a bit too long, but thats just me. the director decided to film the events that were happening so that people would believe him when he talks about these things happening. i cant believe these types of situations exist in our world. I never even heard about this.
ReplyDeleteI was impacted by this eveidence because it would suck if I was part of it, thank goodness that hasn't happened yet in our country. the evidence is very evident in that people who were part of the protest filmed it themselves and also they include some news from the tv so it seems pretty legit. he basically showed us the truth of what happened, and i think thats all that matters.
Since this is a very political movie, I feel obligated to just get my political beliefs out there: I don't give a shit. I hate politics, I think people can do whatever because it probably won't affect me. Now, to the movie.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was okay, it was interesting enough for me to watch the whole thing, at least. Personally, I'm not a fan of reading, so the subtitles got me slightly annoyed, but I'll look past it. I found the footage visually interesting and disturbing, which was probably the point. Since I wasn't at all familiar with anything that was going on, or had gone on, I didn't know where the film was really going, but I think that was okay, as it might have been expected that this would be the case for a lot of people. What I didn't understand was the police. Like, why did they beat the living shit of out people, then after acted concerned and shit. You just beat a dude half to death, and then are like, "oh shit, we need a doctor." C'mon, man.
As far as anything related to Oscar nomination, I have no clue, as I'm not familiar with anything that has ever been nominated. Therefore, I don't think I have to place to say shit about anything.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that the documentary was very powerful. The events shown not only resonated with me as an empathic human being but there was something more thought provoking that kept nagging at me, especially in the latter half of the film; "Could this happen in the United States?". My rational answer to that question is "Probably not anytime soon", yet I couldn't stop thinking of the similarities between the situation in Ukraine and the one here. An elected ruler is abusing his power, said ruler pursues policy that isolates us from the rest of the world, and unprecedented amounts of protesters from extremely diverse backgrounds are all speaking up. Now, I personally believe that we Americans have been lulled into complacency and that it would take a very serious attack on our freedoms (that even our current administration isn't likely capable of) to unite the way the people did in Ukraine, but it still makes me wonder.
ReplyDeleteNow on to the film itself. I read and watched the interviews with Evgeny Afineevsky, and I can tell he is a staunch activist, and obviously a competent filmmaker. And while I was very emotionally affected by his work, I disagree that his film was about the individuals who took part in it. The film was not focused on the individuals enough, mostly on the movement they took part in. It was powerful, but I prefer films that tell the story of an individual or a group of individuals.
As far as the use of primary sources... primary sources was this documentary's strong suit. As I'm thinking about it, I don't think it was anything but. All the interviewee's participated in the protests or the fighting, or had something directly to do with it. all the 'b-roll' footage was taken during the protests, and the found footage was all the Ukrainian Parliament, the fleeing president, etc. In this way, the documentary felt almost more like a particularly charged and thought-out journalistic piece than a film. Is that bad? I'm not sure. While watching the film I thought back to Cartel Land. I think the situational similarities between the making of the two films are abundant, but their approach was very different. Cartel Land was a much more personal film because of its focus on one individual while Winter on Fire seemed a bit too omniscient and lacked that empathic ground because of that.
All that said I did thoroughly enjoy it, even though it felt unfocused at times. It was a very unprecedented look inside the workings of a revolution from the revolutionaries' perspective.
After finishing that film I am still appalled by the gruesome beatings, replaying over in my head of how five or more policemen would surround just one unarmed protesters and beat him/her relentlessly. Truly a very disturbing film, and makes me reflect on where I was and what I was doing in 2014 when all of this was going on, just a naive high schooler with no real understanding of how truly lucky I was to be living in such a great country at the time. In the first minutes of the film when they described what had happened within their government, I IMMEDIATELY thought, “oh shit, this kind of reminds me of a little someone that’s been the star of all the our country’s recent protests.” The film had a significant amount of interviews with people a variety of men and women who were apart of these protests, which was absolutely intriguing to hear all of their vivid recollections of what took place over those months. Although, I understand this film is completely focused on the side of the people, those who united for the better of their country, I wonder what would add or disadvantage to the film by having other sources, maybe a former asshole officer? (but really, what happens to all those former policemen after the Berkut was taken away, like when they try to get new jobs do they write on their resume “former bottom-feeder who participated in violence against unarmed, innocent citizens of my own country”) The film definitely relied heavily on the b-roll that was taken during this time, which I was still intrigued by even though it was horrifying to watch, but lack of that would have made the documentary suffer. One big thing I did not like was having to read the subtitles, sometimes it was really difficult with the high intensity of white in a lot of the interviews. Films with subtitles usually make me uninterested or tired but luckily I survived on the topic of this documentary and the crazy events that took place. As for its nomination for Best Documentary, I would say it is a well documented film of the acts that took place in our world, something that I didn’t even know much about, and it resonated well and will be remembered for at least myself and I assume many others, which that alone shows it is well deserved.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring film about people standing up for what they believed in. I definitely felt that what I was seeing on film really happened because of the use of real footage. I love Evgeny Afineevsky approach to this film. It seemed as if he had told the story through a series of footage that he collected from people who were actually there. I later learned that Evgeny Afineevsky actually went to the Ukraine to document this historic event.
ReplyDeleteI found that the interview style used in this film made the film very personable because they appeared as if they were shot on the action. We believe that these things are actually happening right before our eyes. All of the real news coverage helps a great deal. A lot of the evidence which a lot of it displayed people getting hurt was very heart wrenching and touching. I was completely at a loss for words as I watched these people get shot at and beat with iron baton’s. As I continued to watch the film , I heard more and more stories of people who just wanted to be heard who just wanted the freedoms that we all have every day. My favorite character, is the little 12 year old kid, who missed school to come and be apart of history. He was mature for his age, I was so surprised to see a child well aware of what was happening in the Ukraine and wanted to make a difference.
As I continued to watch the protesters I couldn’t help but feel an emotional attachment to their stories . There really wasn't anything that I didn't like about the film. The pacing of the movie was really great. I could see the progression of the protesters from start to finish. I never for once questioned the events in the movie. It was breathtaking to watch how these protesters started in Maidan and despite police brutality they continue to push forward until their voices were heard.
Zoey Danielson
ReplyDeleteI sat down to watch Winter on Fire, not expecting too crazy about it, and then next thing I know it’s an hour and a half later, I’m completely glued to the screen and I keep expressing to my roommate how ‘insane’ this documentary is. With all of the footage that is in this documentary I never believed it to be inaccurate or untruthful. Having actual footage being shown side by side with interviews of people were actually there, it never once crossed my mind that I was, or even could be, lied to. This films shows us what happened, lays out all the facts, in such a simple, clean way. It was fantastic.
I was completely engrossed in this film. I’ve read some reviews about people saying that it was too long or they got bored while watching it, but me, I loved it. I felt as if I was waiting with those people, I was a part of the same journey, taking the same steps that they were a part of (even though I am one hundred percent safe behind my screen).
I loved hearing everyone’s story, especially the young boy’s, he seemed so old and wise for his age. I loved hearing how everyone’s specific story somehow relates to everyone else’s around them. It seemed as if all emotions ran quite the same, as a solid unit they were all shocked by things, all saddened by thing as well as rejoicing in a lot of the same things as well and rejoice they should.
I feel like this is the classic tale of the ‘good guy’ winning at the end, I feel like even though this documentary has a lot of tragic things happen in it, overall it has a very hopeful feel. It makes me hopeful that people can come together and persevere, especially in the situation we are all faced with today. This was a great documentary, definitely one that deserves praise.
Holy crap. This was a lot to take in and I’m still processing it. I never knew too much about Ukraine’s revolution. I’m disappointed in myself being completely unaware of what these people went through. I see other students talking about their political opinions so I guess I will too. I care a lot about politics. I mean, it’s how our world is run. It affects us in a huge way. I’m definitely the type of person to speak out about injustice in the world. Again, I can’t believe I’m such a dick and didn’t even pay attention to what happened in Ukraine. At the time it happened I was about 15 years old but that’s no excuse. That 12 year old boy was in the center of it all in Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteThe evidence used in this documentary was totally accurate and truthful. I’m not sure how much more authentic you could get. Most of the doc was made up of protestors’ footage. The rest is interviews from the protestors after it happened and visual aids to show the map of the revolution. At certain points I couldn’t even believe the footage they captured. It’s insane that people can be so… disgusting? I don’t even know what word to use. Inhumane? Monsters? Obviously Winter on Fire is biased in favor of the protestors but how could it not have been?? We saw everything the police force and military did. You just can’t defend that.
I don’t mind that it didn’t follow a specific person or a specific group of people because the revolution was so much bigger than that. It still managed to have personal moments and stories. My main objective in watching this documentary was to learn about everything that happened, to hear everyone’s story.
I’m not sure if this deserved the best documentary Oscar nomination or not. I also can’t tell you if I think it should have won. I don’t know about the other documentaries nominated that year. Also, I don’t know how to objectively judge this film. Besides, fuck the Oscars. And fuck dictatorships.
This documentary made me cry more than any film ever has. It was so real, and I felt as though I was right in the middle of the conflict with the Ukrainian people. The filmmakers introduced us to many of the revolutionaries, interviewing in the midst of the conflict, making the audience feel a connection to those who died. The thing that stuck with me most from this film was how similar it was to Les Miserables. There were young activists and barricades, there was even a little boy who couldn't help but remind me of Gavroche. This connection added more emotion for me, because Les Miserables was based on actual events from the French Revolution that took place a few hundred years ago. Seeing that in 2014 we still have this kind of tyranny, when we have popular stories that warn against similar injustices.
ReplyDeleteI was constantly amazed by the bravery not only of the people, but of the filmmaker(s). They had such a strong urge to document what was happening that they risked death. I feel as though they would be bigger targets, as they are taking videos that the regime wouldn't want shown. So I was very inspired that they would make themselves such targets for the sake of showing the world what was happening in their country. While I was watching, I kept thinking "this is what I want to do as a filmmaker." But when the time came, would I actually be as brave as them? I think this documentary reminds us why we document in the first place; why documentaries are so important for us to make and show.
While I thought this was a fantastic documentary, and I completely agree that the government was in the wrong for killing peaceful protesters, I felt that I was missing some background. The film told us that a corrupt leader was put in place, and he promised to have Ukraine join the European Union, but other than that I didn't know much about the regime. Was the European Union alone enough to drive people to the streets and protest? What freedoms were being taken away from them, specifically? Other than that, Winter on Fire was a strong documentary that felt raw and alive, pulling the audience into the front lines of the revolution. What we saw was the truth that the revolutionaries believed in, and we saw plenty of evidence supporting that.
Having not seen any of last year's Best Documentary nominees besides this one, I cannot conclude whether it should have won or not. However, I do believe it deserved to be on that list of nominees.
Wow. This film was crazy. I had no idea that this was happening, to be honest. Isn’t that crazy? Something can be happening in real time somewhere else in the world and you wouldn't even know…It makes me kind of sad, actually. I am very glad I watched this because it really educated me and opened my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI think the filmmakers did a great job convincing the viewers that this really happened, for one, because it was. Haha. They risked their lives filming this documentary, none of it was fake. They were presently existing in the action, which I think is a very brave move. I’m not sure if I would go to that extreme to film something…I guess it would depend. I’m sure i’d feel a lot different if these events were happening in Chicago right now. The reason this film is so emotional and realistic is because of the evidence they present; The repulsive images of torture was painful to watch. I was only about 15 minutes in until I actually had to stop, chill out, and say, “Oh my god”.
I think the way they presented the images that portrayed the truthfulness of the film was the way they set up the series of events. First, they would show how peaceful the protests actually were. The people were emotional and passionate, but not violent. Then, to backfire, there would be the most intense scenes immediately following. That reminds me of one of the things we talked about tin Documentary Storytelling, about how once you can gain one emotion from a viewer, it’s very easy to gain another. You felt for these people, you loved them, so you were happy for them, yet devastated after the seeing the brutality. One thing I really felt weird about in the doc was that it seemed odd that the filmmakers were so close to the police that were beating the citizens, but they were not the ones getting beaten. You’d think they would target the people filming all the brutality.
I can’t really say whether or not this film deserved the Documentary Oscar nomination. Yeah, it was definitely a killer documentary that taught me so much and made me cry. I just think that I haven’t watched enough documentaries like this to even be able to share my opinion. There are probably so many socio-historical documentaries that i’ve never even heard of, but for sure should watch. There are so many great things about this film, though. It’s crazy to think that this is something that could potentially could happen to anyone, even us.
Emilee Brackenbury
ReplyDeleteThe film was mainly composed of evidence and facts. I liked how the story was told through real footage, informal interviews, and the usage of maps. These techniques helped placed where the event was happening and gave me a sense of direction. I did not mind the subtitles at all. I thought that it helped me pay attention more to the film and hang on the words of what people had to say.
I believed the evidence was truthful and accurate because it was candid footage. The emotion present on people's faces and in their voices during interviews was clearly authentic. I felt that the director heavily relied on the use of pathos to reinstate the theme of the film. There were voice overs with footage, dramatic background music, and intense/disturbing images. The film was heavily biased towards the people of Ukraine.
I felt at times that the film was hard to watch. It was (and still is) difficult to wrap my head around the way the police treated the people. I can not understand how someone can brutally harm another person for peacefully protesting. One question that crossed my mind was how did the government not try to hide the footage and evidence of what was going down? The fact that the police did not even try to knock the camera out of filmers hand’s just proved how inhumane the government was behaving and how little they cared about their actions.
I really did like the film. I felt that is was very educating and motivated me to become more informed with what is happening in the world. I felt it was very courageous of the director to be right in the middle of the action and document history in the making. I was moved by the film so much that I made my roommate watch it with me and I kid you not had a conversation about it with almost everyone I conversed with over the weekend.
I also felt that the film was very empowering. It amazed me to watch the crowd of protesters keep coming back day after day knowing the possible consequences. One particular line in the film that stuck with me was “the nation is invincible”. I thought that the footage of people laughing, dancing, smiling, and providing care for each other proved it. The nation focused on their freedom and dignity instead of their differences. The footage also showed that people did not let fear get in their way. It gives me chills thinking about it.
I think that the film earned the Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. I feel that a film should give the viewer something to talk about and walk away feeling a certain way. I think that Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom did that for me and also expanded my awareness on problems happening around the world. I think that the director took a risk by capturing all of this authentic footage and in the end he created a work of art. I was reading some comments below and someone said that they felt as if they had watched the entire revolution before their eyes in just two hours. I agree with that, and I think it takes special talent to be able to capture an entire story in a short period of time.
To be honest, I couldn't watch the entirety of the film. I couldn't handle seeing protestors beaten to the ground, and kicked, and hit over and over. The police brutality in this film was so raw, it was overwhelming. The primary sources from the film, are video from people who were there, and interviews with people who lived though it. The image of the boys standing on the steps to protect the girls who were singing the national anthem of Ukraine was one of the most moving things I've seen in a long while. The cinematography and the images that were captured told the story of violence and hope and struggle. The film deserves any recognition it received, and hopefully brought some focus to it. This is a look into the future of America and the events that could happen in the next few years. With the current events in the political sphere, we are ,moving closer and closer to a revolution.
ReplyDeleteThis film was extremely persuasive towards the Ukrainian people who were protesting. I don't know much about why government did what they did, but the point of view came from the protesters.
ReplyDeleteThe film felt authentic in every way. I think that the use of footage from hundreds of independent journalists, filmmakers, and people present during this revolution really helped sell that point. There is no way that any of this is staged. It was all happening in real time, including many of the interviews that took place. I remember hearing a small amount about this when it was happening but I really never saw the extent of the violence till I watched this film.
Seeing all the people band together even though they were being killed and beaten by an unfair government sent chills down my back. It is so powerful to see a story told in real time with footage of the actual events that were taking place. The use of found footage or footage from many different sources make the film feel bigger than if a crew of filmmakers had just been present. Everything was filmed. However it was the editor and directors decision to choose what made the cut. I think this really made the film feel like the community of people felt. You might not know everyone around you, but they are all fighting for the same cause. The diversity of people and footage from different people really helped show the broad scope of the entire event. I think it was a brilliant decision to make a film like this.
I don’t think this should be the considered the best documentary, but I believe it is extremely important in showing the behind the scenes of revolutions and exposing corruption in governments. No one thinks that this will happen to them until its too late. That is why this film is important not only to the Ukraine but to the rest of the world.
The title scene with a brief summary on why the revolution happened was nice and snappy, yet still informative. I wish there was more of those throughout the film. I also liked this film’s diversity in its intervewees. Activists, celebrity singers, Muftis, and so on. This allowed for a more insightful take on the revolution, especially since they all had a different story to tell and took part in the revolution in a different way (Ex., Ringing the bells in a monastery that hadn’t been rang since 1240). Actually, the bell-ringer telling the story about that night was probably my favorite moment of the whole film. Shame it was only a two-minute bit. That concludes the list of things I liked about this film.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t like how often the violent footage was used. Of course the use of the police brutality they filmed is necessary to tell the story of what happened honestly, but I feel that the recurring shots of black helmets storming a crowd with shields again and again slowly lost its significance. Which sucks- because the things that gruesome footage shows is powerful. I also disliked the sound. For one, the music was forgettable. But I’m mostly offended at how bad the added gunshot sounds at the very beginning front-facing camera scene sounded. Perhaps I imagined it all, but they sounded so incredibly artificial in my headphones. Why were those even needed? We believe they were there! You even openly talk about them.
I’m upset at how bored this made me. I really wanted to be on the edge of my seat with interesting facts and shocking moments taking me by surprise the whole ride, but I just couldn’t stay interested after I was about 80% in. I wish that this (literally, revolutionary) tale was told by more than people talking about injuries they suffered on certain nights or awful things a policeman did. There was so much more room for coverage on the big picture- I wanted to know what other actions were being taken in the government, law reactions to the revolution other than the police’s, reactions from non-protesters, and more. I was craving facts, and I was missing how easily they came to me in the film’s introduction about the revolution’s start.
The things said by those fighting for what they believed in on the front lines of the protest are emotional and captivating, but practically making a talking head compilation with a little gore footage doesn’t do it justice. Less would have been more, in this case. Less is more. Less is more!
A nomination for Best Documentary only feels right because it’s such a worthy cause. And it’s a groundbreaking story either way, so that’s on their side. But the quality of the documentary itself was overestimated. For reasons I’ve discussed, I believe this film didn’t deserve to win. The story could have been told in a much more captivating and informative way.
The film Winter on Fire, as I was watching it all the way through, kept being compared in my mind to another superior Netflix documentary about a violent revolution for social and political change in the 21st Century, The Square Watching these two movies side by side, something tells me that Netflix, in a way, wanted to continue the success and acclaim by The Square by commissioning another documentary on a revolution. What these two movies share is apart of the great aspects of Winter on Fire, but where they differ is where the film falters and becomes a little bit tedious.
ReplyDeleteOne of Winter on Fire's strongest assets is it's on the ground footage of events. Footage acquired of the blood, the fights, the chants, and the perseverance of the protesters. It's in the moment, it is raw, exhilarating, and all the more effective in painting a portrait of a country in pain. It's opening shot throws us right into what we will see. It does not ease us into the climate of revolution, but shows us corpses, the degraded faces of the oppressed, a city torn apart by the people who use to live side by side. This half of the film is extremely successful.
However, the film falters in its handling of the information and presenting it in a cohesive manner. Now it is ideal to mention the sister subject of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. When handling interviews, it is ideal to pace all of your people in constructing the narrative. Winter on Fire largely destructs that notion and puts talking head after talking head in the edits describing the events that took place but avoiding the specific roles these people acted in the Ukranian Revolution. People do not feel important as they are interviewed and as the appear along the timeline of the film. Activists, Priests, at least 5 "Ukranian singers" I believe the information if credible, but having them piled in on the narrative makes the subject very tedious when watching the film. The Square is different in that the narrative is shown from the POV's of 2 or 3 people who are central witnesses to all sides of the revolution. The information is clear and interesting.
Also unlike The Square, Winter on Fire largely avoids the political climate before the Revolution. The beginning is a lazy series of texts describing very briefly a feud with Russia and distrust of the Ukrainian leaders. In the Square, the character's experience are all deeply connected to the political background of the Egyptian Revolution and is easily understandable by the audience. Winter on Fire puts information in the outfield whilst it's main focus is the violence experienced by the Maidan by The Berkut.
This film was very hard to watch at times, the brutality of what was happening was unlike anything I have seen outside of film. The one scene in particular of the old man being beat to the ground and still beaten by each cop as they passed by was disgusting and the fact that this was captured is wild. I liked that we were able to see the true extent of the brutality each person attached to the cause had gone through, specifically when we saw the subject talking to give his or her interview and then we actually saw them take part in what they had talked about. Pulling them out from the entire cause was a great way of individualizing those who were there to further the filmmaker's idea of it being about the people. When we put the politics aside the film does center around those who want change and those who are comfortable with the current system and it was very powerful to watch people unite. The strength we have as people as a community is shown wonderfully here through the time in which people lived in tents in Maidan. I would have liked to see an interview with those on the opposing side to see if anyone could truly admit that beating those people was the right thing to do, but this doc had a clear side on every issue from the start and it played out like that of a fiction film. I kept thinking of the movies Red Dawn and Defiance in which those who were not invited entered people's lives and instead of accepting that, the brave few fought back for what was theirs. They went together so well and told a very inspiring story, while Red Dawn is fiction, Defiance was based on a true story, and it was very interesting to see how similar this film was next to a dramatized version of a similar experience. Without seeing the other docs nominated for the Oscar it is hard to say if this deserved the win. I was moved by it and I'm sure that the filmmaker doesn't need any award to validate what he accomplished with this, but I do believe this film deserves recognition for documenting this revolution.
ReplyDeleteWinter On Fire was probably the most unfiltered documentary I have ever seen. That being said I feel like the Ukrainian governments and the people who didn’t participate in the Ukrainian revolution’s side of the story wasn’t really shown or represented. Even though I see the government was doing terrible things I think they should have showed more on what was happening on the inside if they could have. I think it was amazing, how much footage they got from the revolution, I didn’t expect that much. The director made really good use of this footage as well as using first hand accounts of the people there. Although he could have used some of the police’s accounts. I think the majority of the evidence was reliable and true maybe except for some of the accounts of the revolutionaries. But for the most part you can’t really say someone getting beaten to the point death on camera is fake. But as it goes with every documentary the way the show the evidence is where they can manipulate you and besides not getting accounts from both sides I think this documentary is pretty authentic. I think this doc should have won for best documentary but people like celebrities and tragic stories, so it’s no surprise Amy won. I think it should have won purely from the footage alone, I don’t know many documentaries that get coverage like that besides like military related documentaries. And i'm not sure how many documentaries have footage from actual revolutions from start to finish.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really wish I was able to watch this documentary in one sitting. It was powerful and emotional and very real. I am not a political person by any means, and actually hate the world of politics, and the news. But throughout this film, I kept wondering how I missed this news in the past. I was old enough where it would have crossed my feeds or that I would have heard someone talk about it. Even the signing of one of the documents took place on my birthday a couple years ago. I'm still in shock, and throughout the whole film (I'm not going to lie, I still have 20 minutes left of it), I kept finding myself thinking..."is this another Holocaust?"
ReplyDeleteI was extremely moved towards the end (the last 45 minutes or so) when a pianist took it upon themselves to play something. The footage showed people around just stop and listen to the graceful tapping of the keys, and the calming sounds of the music in an otherwise not calm reality. It was a beautiful moment that I'm glad was captured on film and put into the documentary. I do understand that because of the editing, it was probably more moving for me than it may have actually been at the time.
Like I admitted before, I haven't completely finished (I just knew I needed to get this typed up), but I'm really looking forward to finishing the film and hope that I can contribute something to our conversations tomorrow in class.
The footage was so raw, that it is hard to believe it is anything but fact. The way the citizens rallied together reminds me of what is happening now in our country. They had one goal and one purpose, and they knew they could only accomplish this if they worked together. Not only was the footage itself captivating, but the unity sent a message even now, after the fact. I both feel for these citizens and commend them for their strength and persistence. To witness the carnage that ensued, and keep filming the events takes both courage and shows how stubborn people can be. I feel like I've been rambling, but I honestly don't know what else to say about the doc. It was...it was.
Just in case this post doesn't include my name as it didn't the last time---
Samantha Pritkin
Holy shit.
ReplyDeleteThat would be my reaction to this.
I knew about what happened in Ukraine when it occurred, but I didn’t know like this. I remember receiving a news ping in class my sophomore year that said “Kiev internet shut down” and I thought, “Wow, that sucks. Can’t imagine living in a nation under an authoritarian ruler with control like that.”
Precisely when I remembered this is when I wanted to vomit. I enjoyed the simplicity of how the information was conveyed to the viewers: shot after shot escalating tensions and broadcasting that these were just average people. It started in such a normal place, a place of protest and disagreement and unrest with being lied to. What groped my gag reflexes was how freaky real this could be in our own nation. It still makes me want to throw up. It is not only relevant because of its similarities to events here, but it boiled down modern day revolution to be a very understandable thing. It seemed to be completely logical that they got to the point they did, and any viewer watching could see that, regardless of what the state of their nation is.
This doc had me in the palm of its hand from the very beginning. The only time I pondered the truth of it all was when the twelve year old boy was not only more articulate about national issues than most kids I graduated high school with, but he always stood independently or with other young adults fighting. Was this some weird placement of a little rebel like in Les Miserables? Were they going to kill him off like in Les Mis??? I couldn’t cope with that if they did. But then I decided to believe all that I had seen, for one silly boy could not lessen the weight of this piece of history.
I think what made this so believable was the feeling of multiple perspectives. While our filmmaker is unbeknownst to us, it truly feels as though this is purely a compilation of footage: the ultimate ‘show don’t tell’. It also is so frightening because it shows us what revolution would be like if we experienced it today. That struck an emotional chord; the involvement of technology and the reality of the people just having ENOUGH.
And yeah, I do think this deserved the nomination because the compilation of footage was so emotionally gripping. But I think it was right that it didn’t win in that the subject matter would still be pretty gripping if it was compiled differently. To me, yes, the way it was presented to us added to its intensity. But I think if it was shittily edited or fleshed out, it’d still be pretty fascinating. Subject matter alone shouldn’t win you an Oscar in the doc category, in this case.
I loved this documentary. It was an eye-opener and a very immersive gut punch that is really timely given the current state of affairs that America is in and the mass protests in our own country.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the focus was put on the revolution and its rise and not on the aftermath of the resignation. I went into this anticipating Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but was pleasantly surprised that it only focused on the positive change that was brought about by the protestors. I think sending a positive message about the Ukrainian revolution is better than only focusing on an unhappy outcome.
While I might be grasping at straw here for something I disliked, the brief moment of English narration and map graphics were a little unnecessary. 98% of the film is in Ukrainian already, so having a brief moment of English narration at the beginning was jarring and misplaced. The map graphics helped to show the progression but didn't really add to the film as a whole.
I think that it definitely deserved its nomination at the Academy Awards. However, Amy deserved to win because, while both films are powerful and important, I think I may just prefer Amy over Winter on Fire.
10/10
P.S. This is Sean McGann.
DeleteTrina Mulligan
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the documentary “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom”, my eyes were definitely opened to a political strife that I didn’t even know existed. I really enjoyed this documentary not on an entertainment level like “The Imposter”, but on a more serious level. I gained knowledge on the political problems of a country that prior to seeing the film, I believed to be perfectly safe.
Evgeny Afineevsky created a film that not only captured my attention, but my trust. The primary sources that he used in the film were interviews of people who were a part of the protests in Maidan and actual footage from almost all of the events that took place for over 93 days. Halfway through watching the documentary, it occurred to me that I wasn’t sure how the footage was taken. Who took the footage? The style of the footage seemed consistent, yet there were times when the image looked like it had been filmed from a phone or Afineevsky had used footage from the public. I think that this documentary was very convincing and absolutely believable due to the diversity and amount of people who were interviewed. There were stories told from children, women, men, old people, and the youth. Also there was an incredible amount of footage from the actual protests which could not have been staged.
I was astonished to see a government and police force so corrupt and brainwashed that they would turn against their own people and hurt unarmed and peaceful protesters. It definitely makes me reflect on the current protests going on over Donald Trump’s election and how they seem relatively peaceful compared to the insanely violent head bashings that the protesters in Maidan received. I believe “Winter On Fire” deserved the Best Documentary Oscar nomination because of the story alone. The amount of strife and hardship that the citizens of Ukraine went though is something that everyone should be informed about. The only thing I wished would have been included in the documentary was the reactions from the rest of the world. I don’t remember much about the Ukraine in the media during 2013 and 2014, but it could just be because of my bad memory. I also love how the documentary worked well as a story and ended on a hopeful note.
Ian Roozrokh
ReplyDeleteFor someone who hasn’t been educated or informed of the Ukraine Revolution in any form of proper education, the result in watching this piece was beyond breathtaking and shocking. During the beginning of the doc, I was nervous to watch because of my lack of prior knowledge and experience but the filmmaker made me feel like I could trust and easily follow the story that was being told. This side of political documentaries I enjoy, much like “13th’. The film placed me in such a mental capacity of as if I was a part of the Revolution and part of the chaos. I began associating and making references in recent history to other historic events much like the holocaust and other political revolutions across Europe and Southeast-Asia. The strategic film aesthetic and theme really drove me home on the un-godly and almost unbelievable events I’ve seen in recent history. I was surprised that I, or anyone around me, wasn’t politically engaged in this problem.
I got to a point in the film where I was locked in and I couldn’t move my eye off the screen even if someone was dying next to me; then my wifi turned off because of an operating problem downstairs. I almost panicked and went out of the way to get back to watching as fast as I can because of how engaged I was on such a telling and heart-wrenching event.
Togetherness was something I really enjoyed taking part of the theme in this movie. There were some featured people but I felt as though the story was told and felt by the whole movement. That wholesome feeling let me apply that to what is happening today in America. I found myself keep asking the question of “Will it get to this? Is this what it’s going to look like later?”. Having this feeling made me full of empathy and fear the people experiencing. Every frame felt as if it hit my soul with an arrow on fire. Such clear and understanding storytelling especially with the help of visual map graphics.
10/10 would recommend.
Peiheng
ReplyDeleteI keep remained myself this is not a movie, it is a documentary, the things was really happened, it may me feel like death is so close. This film was banned in China, even can’t find it in “Douban”(a Chinese website like IMDB), it says “can’t show it because of illegal issue” when you try to search the information about this film. So we can imagine, the influences that come from the documentary are so powerful that even Chinese government are afraid to show it in China.
Director tells the story in people's point of view, with lots of footage and interviews to promote the development of the entire revolution. I believe that the evidences that shown are truthful but only in citizen’s point of view. The documentary don’t have any interview of polices officer, so it is hard to distinguish the truthful of the whole revolution. I really love this documentary and I think it deserved to won the Oscar, not because of its good structure but because of the difficulty of the footage was shot.
Sarah Roston
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. WHAT A FILM! I didn’t even know this was a huge documented event that took place in Ukraine and I just feel so sad, but at the same time ecstatic that everyone's hard work in believing and protesting paid off. I was amazed at how there was video footage throughout the whole revolution with interviews as well.
When I was watching the film, all of the evidence that I saw, I believed to be accurate. I was only curious as to how it was filmed when there were some serious threats that could have happened to the cinematographer.
This film definitely deserved a nomination because I am just one example of someone that didn’t know this was happening in Ukraine. I am sure I wasn’t the only one and I think this documentary did an excellent job in storytelling in all aspects as to what happened. There were some great nominees for the Oscars in 2015. In answering the question if it should have won, I thought this was a powerful story...I want to be honest, so I think the only way to truly judge this is to watch the other nominees and then I will be able to decide.
Loved this doc! Thanks for letting us watch it!
"Winter on Fire" is not just a political exposé but a love-letter to patriotism and a testament to the people as political sovereignty.
ReplyDeleteFollowing a sort-of rushed beginning that offers only a brief backstory to the events rather than a memorable opening (save for a cold open that merely shows what will happen later in the film), the documentary picks up quite a bit. All the testimonies and stories from the protesters and others involved are informative and interesting. They each add a layer of depth to what can just look like a mob of angry people.
The narrative developed nicely for the most part, although there were moments where I felt it dragging just a little bit. Mostly in the middle. What really carries the doc is the raw footage, and I thought that was enough to keep it engaging for the whole 80 minutes.
On a more emotional level, it was genuinely uplifting to see a people so united in their love of what their country could be (the merits of EU memberships are questionable in my opinion but that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things). It was unrefined patriotism, untainted by the apathy and shallowness of youth in other, more prosperous countries. These were not rich, spoiled college students just wanting to go out with their friends and take pictures, they were in a legitimate political struggle against an unjust and illegitimate government. And that was refreshing to see, to be honest.
I frequently though to myself that I would have liked more insight into the goings on among the police and their stories. Given the political situation, however, this seems pretty impossible. "Winter on Fire" probably deserved an Oscar nomination if only for providing a compilation of incredible and unique footage mixed with a solid narrative.