hownos
12-29-24, 04:15 PM
My take for what it's worth
An effective use of imagery in this sort of war movie, there are no actual battle scenes but the whole movie is permeated by the war. We see the downed planes and bombed out houses with only the chimnies standing. This is one bleak look at the war in the USSR although no dates or location are given as it's all sort of intentionally vague. You have to use your imagination with this film as there is a lot of suggestion and the dialogue will not spell everything out.
The star of the show is Ivan who has grown up very quickly after his family has been killed by the invading Germans. He is in some sense braver than the adults in the movie. We get flashbacks from Ivan to a happier life and we realize this kid should be playing football or frolicking at the beach intead of undertaking dangerous recognizance missions.
The movie gets a little on the propagandish side at the end - the Soviets couldn't help themselves but overall an effective movie about the devastating effects of war. I wish the Russians would learn something from it. 7.5/10
P.S. The actor who played Ivan is a pro-Putin poltician in Russia today and has been sanctioned by the US and Europe. The guy learned nothing, obviously.
An effective use of imagery in this sort of war movie, there are no actual battle scenes but the whole movie is permeated by the war. We see the downed planes and bombed out houses with only the chimnies standing. This is one bleak look at the war in the USSR although no dates or location are given as it's all sort of intentionally vague. You have to use your imagination with this film as there is a lot of suggestion and the dialogue will not spell everything out.
The star of the show is Ivan who has grown up very quickly after his family has been killed by the invading Germans. He is in some sense braver than the adults in the movie. We get flashbacks from Ivan to a happier life and we realize this kid should be playing football or frolicking at the beach intead of undertaking dangerous recognizance missions.
The movie gets a little on the propagandish side at the end - the Soviets couldn't help themselves but overall an effective movie about the devastating effects of war. I wish the Russians would learn something from it. 7.5/10
P.S. The actor who played Ivan is a pro-Putin poltician in Russia today and has been sanctioned by the US and Europe. The guy learned nothing, obviously.