Occupation of Ukrainian peninsula Crimea shared people and the most of the world on two sides in position on belonging of a territory. That painful time, as it occurred in a past, gives appearance of such cinema. About crisis, which turned to invasion few months ago. From government funds of Ukraine was made and released Sniper White Raven.
Those who speak Russian in this film are people who want a territorial joining of Ukraine to Muscovy Empire, militaries from there and couple of reporters without politeness and littering a cigarette. All of them combine speech with a mat. Those who speak Ukrainian are usually nice people who miss family, play soulful songs on guitar and artistic personalities. Yes, it’s a propaganda movie about Ukrainian values, but it doesn’t exaggerate reality. Screenplay of Sniper White Raven doesn’t make a drop into simplicity. It’s inventive in telling about a teacher of senior high classes who, as everybody in Donbass, was changed by a war. However, one of scriptwriters and director Marian Bushan isn’t experienced in both. It’s enticing to see how protagonist Mykola turns into a first-rate sniper thankfully of previous occupation and a movie does a detailed devotion into technical process when whole structure of telling of the story is probable to be not accurate.
Understanding of passed years by that a cell phone was changed on smartphone while two of three showed Mykola’s missions were seeing in a sight a person from a peaceful past. It’s author’s vision, but I would make a combination of shots from main hero’s different assignment between those two scenes at least.
The flick prefers solid reality while to the end, as in a final confrontation with two snipers, comes spirit of summer movies for some time. And that unreasonable accent on smoking after failed mission in which guilt of Mykola. By the way, director leaves in unknown about existence or not of remorse for actions made these consequences as well as work on personality of a main enemy sniper whose eating of nuts or whatever does much pathos.
Too frequent of overdramatize in scenes. So-called joking of a drill instructor similar to Russian schoolteacher. His said is easily makes laughing for presenting soldiers whose reaction are similar to junior students of these schools.
Director’s haste ruins a creation of suspense. Muscovy soldiers appear after snipers confirmed positions. No long waiting in the most missions what contradictive to reality. A cinematographer took one big snaggy shot of all group prepared for attack and then goes action. He rarely deals well with a camera. Many scenes and all of them follows to one building: a transport does side movements, disappears from a vision and image freezes for few seconds with having no necessity to do it. Burial of wife had wonderful shot and could be a strong scene if director wouldn’t decide to do a radical switch to other object.
Presenting professional misfires and potential for perfect excellency aren’t in force for disruption of impression to film’s story. Listening and, fortunately, have understanding to beautiful Ukrainian language characterizes personages and a country always chose to be an independent. Russian talking since invasion became for me a German language for survivors of Holocaust. I’m thinking on only one – Слава Україні!
