Reflection (Vidblysk)
The Ukrainian conflict is one of the many wars that Venezia 78 is talking about. The war between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 and taking place mostly in the Donbass region is still running. Valentyn Vasyanovych, winner of Orizzonti with Atlantis (2019) is running for Golden Lion this year with Vidblysk (Reflection). Atlantis brought us to a future Ukraine telling the story of a former soldier volunteering to rescue the bodies of the casualties. This one centers on the doctor Serhiy (Roman Lutskiy), who has been jailed by the Russians. This experience will deeply change him. He discovers a reality of humiliation, violence and disregard that was unknown to a man of his social class. Reflection is a morality play about «the horror and inhuman violence of war» and there will be some «scenes that will shake the audience » as Venice film Festival Artistic Director Alberto Barbera already said. This is a new chapter of Vasyanovych’s artistic path that started his career with the short film Proty sontsya (Against the Sun) and then directed his first feature Zvychayna sprava (Business as Usual, 2012), followed by Kredens (2013), Crepuscule (2013) and Riven chornoho (Black Level, 2017, FIPRESCI award at Odessa Film Festival and Ukrainian runner up for the Oscars). The director also produced, edited and cinematographed The Tribe, set in an institution for deaf people and played in sign language. The Donbass War is echoed in Venice this year also by the biography of director Oleg Sansov (his movie Nosorih has been selected in Orizzonti) that was jailed by the Russian government right after the beginning of the war.
Ukraine, 2021. Directed by Valentyn Vasyanovych. with Roman Lutskyi, Nika Myslytska, Nadia Levchenko, Andriy Rymaruk, Igor Shulha. Lenght 125’
