Watching Russian films about the war in the Donetsk Basin, which began in 2014, may be distressing for some viewers and film critics. The representation of the conflict is often clichéd, portraying separatists and the Russians as heroes while the Ukrainians as bloodthirsty villains. The scripts are overly dramatic, and the acting style is outdated, reminiscent of the 1990s.
Last August, the movie “Witness” (Russian: “Svidetel”) was released and heavily promoted as a war epic. Unfortunately, David Dadunashvili’s film received negative reviews from critics and audiences, resulting in poor box office performance.
The movie centers around a Belgian violinist who, while performing in Moscow, crosses paths with a Ukrainian oligarch. The oligarch invites him to Kyiv just as conflict erupts in the city. As the violence escalates, the musician struggles to leave Ukraine due to the Belgian embassy’s evacuation to Lviv.
The film portrays various Russian propaganda messages throughout its duration:
– In one of the opening scenes, prior to February 24, Ukrainian individuals discuss a planned attack on Russia and the area of Donbas that is not under Kyiv’s control. This conversation aims to demonstrate that the large-scale aggression initiated by Moscow was intended to prevent a potential Ukrainian attack. However, it is essential to note that neither Kyiv, the USA, nor NATO had planned such actions.
– Weapons are distributed on the streets of Kyiv, but the Ukrainians later use them to rob shops. However, these events did not occur, and the weapons were used for the territorial defense of Ukrainian cities instead.
– Ukrainian soldiers bringing stolen household appliances to their headquarters. This motive likely aims to conceal evidence that Russian soldiers looted. Many photos and videos proved their criminal behavior.
– Ukrainian soldiers often use torture. Moreover, they rape and kill the violinist’s assistant.
– The name of the Belgian artist is Daniel Cohen, which suggests his Jewish heritage.
However, Ukrainian soldiers treat him contemptuously, similar to the “Nazis” that Russian propaganda passionately enjoys to talk about. Moreover, the fact that we are dealing with the spiritual successors of the Third Reich can be observed through the presence of a portrait of Adolf Hitler in a golden frame and a copy of his book “Mein Kampf” in the Ukrainian soldiers’ headquarters.
As the Western viewer observes the attitude of the Ukrainians portrayed in this movie, they may believe they are savage beasts. Certain Russian critics believe that this was the film’s intention – to persuade the West that if they were to witness firsthand the actions of the defenders of Ukraine, whom they support, they would inevitably change their stance and accept Moscow’s arguments. It’s important to note that the Russians greatly value how their country is perceived in the West, despite what their politicians and experts may say. As a result, they are desperately searching for any form of support for Moscow’s policies, even if it’s coming from less mainstream politicians and social activists.
Furthermore, if viewers have doubts about the film’s message, the ending exposes this information. The film reveals that Ukrainian troops were responsible for the bombing of the theater and maternity hospital in Mariupol, the station in Kramatorsk, and the massacre in Bucha. The movie is dedicated to the memory of the victims.
The filmmakers were granted assistance from the Russian Ministry of Culture to produce a movie about a significant subject involving global geopolitical and social transformations in contemporary Russia. It could be the reason why they did not actively promote their film, which gained little popularity in Russian theaters. Nevertheless, it was released in 1,131 cinemas right after its debut on August 17 and has been viewed by nearly 50,000 people, according to Kinopoisk. This outcome is a significant letdown, even for a Russian cinematic work.
It’s possible that the Russians were so familiar with the special military operation from watching it on TV that they didn’t feel the need to see it in theaters. It is further supported by the popularity of “Cheburashka” (also known as Topple), a Russian children’s film that adults also find entertaining. The film’s main character, often compared to the Soviet version of Mickey Mouseis well-known from the puppet series of their youth. The Russians willingly go to cinemas to watch positive movies, avoiding Z-propaganda and paying for tickets.
Some critics have noted that the film’s quality is subpar. The actors’ Ukrainian language may elicit laughter due to their Russian accents and use of Russian expressions not typical in Ukrainian speech. It is apparent that none of the actors are Ukrainian or have lived there, which highlights the challenge of finding suitable collaborators. This observation also applies to other aspects of the film.
It is interesting to note that the film was initially intended to be named “Musician.” However, after the mutiny attempt by the Wagner Group – nicknamed musicians and orchestra – it was decided to change the title to “The Witness.”
The witness didn’t emerge out of nowhere
It is unusual for Russian filmmakers to produce movies about the war in the Donets Basin against Ukraine. Since 2014, only 13 films have been released on this topic, while nearly 200 local productions premiere in Russia yearly. The reason for this shortage of films may be related to the Kremlin’s position that the conflict in the Donetsk Basin was a “civil war” and that Moscow did not support the separatists. As a result, authorities may not see the need to finance such productions.
In 2019, “Donbass. Okraina” was released, which explains the events that took place in Ukraine. The coup in Kyiv, known as the Revolution of Dignity, led to protests against the new government in the Eastern and Southern regions. Separatist referendums were organized, and Kyiv responded by sending troops to deal with the demonstrating civilians.
The story unfolds in Maryinka, near Donetsk, in August 2014. As is often depicted in Russian cinematography, the town is shelled by Ukrainian troops. In the basement are hiding, among others, a wounded separatist, a resident of Maryinka, whose brother also fights on the side of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, a little boy whose parents died in the shelling, and a Ukrainian soldier. There are also two women from Kyiv – one is a nationalist, and the other is a volunteer helping the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainians who entered Maryinka and belonged to the Azov battalion killed the volunteer. After numerous adventures, some of the people hiding in the basement manage to escape to Russia.
Russian critics heavily criticized the film, highlighting its weaknesses in script, character development, and attempts to imitate the Ukrainian language. The film also performed poorly at the box office, with only 47,000 viewers.
However, compared to other movies centered around Donbas, this film is considered to have a less heavy-handed approach to Russian propaganda.
Women want to be part of combat at the frontline
The film “Opolchenochka,” also known as “Militia Girl,” was released in the same year. It was about three women fighting in the ranks of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, supported by Moscow.
Each of them experienced the brutality of the Ukrainians. The school in Lugansk, where the first of them taught history, was shelled by Ukrainian troops. The second one came to the Donetsk Basin, looking for her brother – a volunteer fighting on the insurgents’ side. Her future husband, a separatist Commander, was assassinated on their wedding day. The third character loses her partner when “Ukrofascists” kill him for wearing the Saint George ribbon—a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War, which was used by separatists after 2014.
It is a local production of Luganfilm from Luhansk, sponsored by Russia. The movie features actors and directing in the style of the 90s. It’s worth noting that the film screenings are only presented in the self-proclaimed republics as they were abandoned in Russia.
– What kind of fate is this? War and fascism in childhood, and now fascism all over again in elderly age – the mother expressing deep emotion while saying farewell to her son who departs for the front.
According to the filmmakers, the separatists are comprised of volunteers defending their land, while Russian propaganda presents them as miners and workers. On the other side are the Ukrainians, who torture and bomb civilians and rape women. Of course, their actions are carried out by Nazism ideology.
Those fighting on the separatist side in Donbas, who previously aspired to be part of Ukraine, are losing faith and choosing Russia.
The movie showcases the heroism of locals and the brutality of the Ukrainians through documentary photos of the war in Donbas.
The hot sunlight from the blue sky
In 2021, the Russian film “Solntsepek” (Hotsunlight) premiered. It shares the name with a powerful artillery system that the screenwriters suggest Ukraine is using. The movie tells the story of operations in the Donetsk Basin after 2014. All the patterns of Russian propaganda were repeated there. The Ukrainian soldiers, mercenaries, and bandits murdered children, raped women, tortured prisoners and shelled the settlements of Lugansk with artillery.
The human face here has separatists who helped the oppressed population. By default, these are only volunteers with no military experience who “borrowed” the uniforms from the closest military shop, as Vladimir Putin often referred to. Moscow and the plot of its direct support are not visible in this movie.
– Even during the fascist’s time (during the Second World War – Belsat.eu), everyone spoke Russian except those who aspired to join Europe. They immediately switched to “mova” (“yazyk” in a Russian mocking slang reference to the Ukrainian language – Belsat.eu) – such an explanation about the history of Donbas gives the older hero of the film.
In the “Solntsepek,” an American instructor encourages the Ukrainians to follow Washington’s orders, while a Polish volunteer and a German “whose grandfather was present there in 1942” are also featured. Additionally, the film portrays a Ukrainian soldier who cannot tolerate the atrocities committed by his colleagues and ultimately takes his own life. Separatists are also depicted, with the directors showing them as having the sole objective of protecting the local civilian population.
This film also begins with information about the coup in Ukraine in 2014. The new government started the genocide of the Russian-speaking population, which by 2020 had affected 44,000 people. There is no information here that only 13,000 were killed, and the rest were wounded. There is also a clear suggestion that only the Kyiv regime is accountable for this. However, the victims are primarily due to the Russian attacks and actions of local separatists supported by Moscow.
The movie was of such poor quality that it was not released in theaters and was only accessible through NTV television and the Internet. The Insider, an investigative journalism website, discovered that cinema screenings were canceled due to low audience turnout and a lack of directives from the governing bodies.
It’s worth noting that Alexei Kravchenko has a prominent role in the movie. As a child, he played the main character in the famous film “Go and See,” directed by Elem Klimov during the era of Perestroika. The movie depicts the story of a Soviet partisan battling the Germans in Belarus in 1943.
It’s important to note that “The Hotsunlight” was produced by Paritet-film and Aurus, who also made “The Tourist,” a film about the courageous mercenaries of the Wagner Group in Africa. According to the independent Russian website Meduza, both movies were financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the mercenary company. In the final scene, the separatist retrieves a book containing a music sheet of Richard Wagner’s works from his deceased friend, whom the Ukrainians killed. It serves as a clear allusion to the Wagner Group. Notably, the fact that Wagner was Hitler’s favorite composer and that Dmitry “Wagner” Utkin formed the Wagner Group is unmentioned.
What’s next?
The Russian Ministry of Culture is currently prioritizing support for films that popularize the heroism of Russian soldiers during special military operations. They also aim to unite society around support for the army and highlight the neo-colonial policies of countries in the Anglo-Saxon world. It is expected that more works will be produced to meet these objectives.
One of the upcoming productions is likely to be a joint effort with India called “Mission Ganges” (Russian: “Missija Gang”). The story revolves around a group of Indian students studying medicine in Sumy, Ukraine, who attempt to evacuate in February 2022 due to the violent riots incited by local nationalists, targeting international students. It’s unspecified why this wasn’t done earlier, but luckily, Russian soldiers stepped in to help and completed a special evacuation mission upon Delhi’s request. The debut of this “remarkable piece” is set for January, and it fully meets the Ministry of Culture’s requirements for receiving their support.
There were only a handful of proposals for war propaganda cinema. It was evident in the Ministry’s December pitch results, where creators presented their ideas for new films seeking state support. However, Russian filmmakers believe their audiences are not interested in such films and are more inclined to produce movies on other subjects. Even the TRITE studio, owned by the ultra-patriotic and Putin-supporting director Nikita Mikhalkov, prefers to create a new version of “Bremen Musicians” rather than glorify separatists and soldiers in the Ukraine war.
Piotr Pogorzelski/belsat.eu
Translated by PEV
