chorniycholovichok This movie is one of the few that impartially present the difficult times Ukraine found itself in during the 1930's. The times of massive repressions and executions of the civilian population, murder by forced starvation, and persecution of anyone who disagreed with the Soviet government in Moscow.Basic knowledge of Eastern European history of the early 20th century would greatly help to see what links certain events together.I suggest you read the synopsis before watching the movie to have a better understanding of the events that take place. Their true historical weight is what really gives them a deeper meaning.

Volodymyr Lytvyn The Guide - one of the best Ukrainian movies ever. Must watch film, to understand current events in Ukraine. (Maidan 2014) History repeats itself, especially since Russian government has not changed it's policy toward Ukrainian nation. Based on Historical facts the movie portrays how Soviet/Russian government had always wanted to destroy Ukrainian identity,culture and its people. The movie is set in early 1930 Kharkiv, beginning of planed mass starvation (10 million Ukrainian civilians) by Josef Stalin, called Holodomor. It also teaches us about Ukrainian heroes, legendary Kobzars, spiritual leaders of Ukrainian nation. In addition to a powerful story that the movie tells, filming, acting and directing is at highest level of filmography.

Igor Balashov After creation of Soviet Union the cultures of all nations except Russians were oppressed here. Many cultural figures of Ukraine (writers, poets, scientists, theater and movie directors, actors, painters, musicians, folk artists, etc) undesirable for Soviet regime were executed or exiled to Siberia on the hard physical works, especially during the 1930s (it is known as Executed Renaissance). Among such figures were bandurists, the folk musicians who played on the bandura (Ukrainian folk string instrument) and sign mainly the patriotic sad ballads about cossacks, the Ukrainian steppe warriors of the 15-19 centuries.Main plot of this movie is a story of a blind wondering bandurist Ivan Kocherga in 1932-1933. Accidentally he gives some help to American boy Peter, whose father was killed by Soviet special services because of some secret documents, and takes him as sighted person – the guide.Blind bandurist and his young guide are traveling in Eastern Ukraine among the beautiful landscapes and witnessing repressions of Ukrainian people by Soviet regime.This movie is excellently visualized, which is combined with great music, including numerous Ukrainian folk songs.It is clearly the best movie about Ukrainian culture since famous "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" (1965) of Sergei Parajanov and definitely the best one that was filmed in independent Ukraine so far.

ejf2161 The director is tremendously talented. The style is reminiscent of Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker. Despite the sadness of some of the events, you are immersed in a world of supernatural beauty. The journeys through nature have a ethereal transcendent quality to them. The blindness of a leading character adds to this. The death toll of Stalin's famine was estimated at 7-10 million. This was one of the worst cases of genocide in human history. In this movie your soul feels the weight of this tragedy, but the movie does not dwell on this. It is setting, not the main narrative thrust. Hope and tender moments of compassion fill the screen. When this movie shows tragedy it is ultimately contrasted with a resistance of a human spirit that refuses to die. This movie is also a powerful reminder. The false promises of communism, which merely pretends to be a collectivist philosophy while actually operating more like a mafia, are juxtaposed with the real promises of compassion and love for ones neighbor. We are also shown communist propaganda tactics that mask true intentions and create confusion. Similar spin tactics accompany the war today. This is the film that Ukraine needed to make in response to what is happening to it right now. But it is so much more than that.