In February of 2014, in Ukraine, a revolution took place in the capital, Kiev, which changed the political landscape of the country. Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” relies primarily on video shot live while the revolution took place. It’s rare that one can watch a revolution as it unfolds. It brings a total voyeuristic feel and puts the viewer on the front lines of the conflict, and it is a brutal conflict, as one might expect.
Afineevsky combines a big picture vision of the war in the streets while shedding light on individual’s stories who are fighting against the government. Most of the revolutionaries are middle class men. There are lots of young students, as in most revolutions.
We meet a boy of perhaps 12, who wants to be a major player, but who must wait until he’s a bit older. There is little doubt that he will become more, and maybe sooner than anyone else thinks. Then there’s the retired soldier who is helping the revolutionaries who are long on energy, but light on strategy and training. A couple of members of the clergy also jump into the fray.
Viktor Yanukovich is the president of the Ukraine, but he is a puppet for Putin and Russia. His response to the uprising is brutal. He is determined to quash the rebellion by any means necessary, even releasing convicts from prison to join with the police in brutalizing the population. At first, they are armed with plastic batons. Soon they are replaced by metal pipes. Eventually, the police starts firing live ammunition into the crowds. It’s a bloodbath.
Afineevsky uses the camera to immerse us in the revolution. It’s not shot from a safe distance. Protestors are falling right in front of us. That is what makes this so hair-raising, and for that reason alone, it is worth a viewing.
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