It’s all one big messy bowl of borscht: the politics, romance, faith and famine all mashed up in this story which follows two Ukrainian lovers through a mass starvation in the early 1930s known as the Holodomor. The mass starvation imposed by Joseph Stalin on the Ukrainian people is one of the underrepresented horrors of the 20th century, and it is said that twenty million people were sent to their deaths.
Thanks to Martin Amis’ book Koba the Dread at the turn of this century, I had gained an uncommon education into the history of Russia and the murderous Stalin, and was therefore eager to see this film. I regret to inform that this was not by any stretch of the imagination an effective representation of Stalin’s overwhelmingly significant blot on world history. While it may have been completely well-meaning to have woven a romantic story in the midst of the famine and bloodshed of the time, the fact is that it did nothing to enlighten or enhance the gravitas of the situation. And while the beautiful landscape of the Ukrainian mountains and its people made for some lovely scenery, it did little to convey the rape and pillage of the land and its people. Given the current state of world events, this film had the potential to build and shape world opinion on Russia, but sadly, it is more a flimsy gossamer offering that fails to teach and impress.
As for the actors, they’re all a fine bunch despite a dull script. And Max Irons is a fine young man, but does not, unfortunately, have the presence of his father, Jeremy Irons.
On a most inconsequential note, I was quite taken by the lovely embroidered shirts and blouses that the peasants wore almost like a uniform. That small detail highlighted in some measure the unique arts and culture of the land.
