'PORCELAIN WAR' REVIEW: One of the Best Documentaries This Side of 2020 About War [4.5/5]
Including Seriously Great Art, and A Dog Named "Frodo"
[Rating 4.5/5] - dir. Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev - 2024 - Ukraine - R - 1h 27m - Documentary
Yeah. Like I said in the subtitle. There’s a dog named “Frodo”. The film begins with a sense of urgency and adventure, so who better to lead it than a LOTR-named puppy dog?
An incredibly stirring, hypnotic Eastern Folk song guides us with a knowing tone through the somewhat sitcom-esque footage of each of the film’s human subjects and ends with, of course, “Frodo”, hopping like Thumper from Bambie through tall grass after his friends. Honestly the score/soundtrack in general is good enough it could be its own release. The aforementioned folk, the dance, the RnB, the soul, and the classical all squeeze together for a greater impact than you ever could have imagined.
This fun, brave, artistically-forward sense of spirit whisks us through this tremendously self-filmed and composed, often heart-wrenching documentary about “ordinary” Ukrainians who, faced with imminent war, make the difficult decision to stay home and fight — and create.
Artist-soldiers Slava, Anya, and Andrey are heroes, and for the purposes of their film Porcelain War, wonderfully giving, vulnerable subjects.
…And although it is not the point, it must be added the three leads are very good artists. Their painted porcelation creations, complimented deeply by digital animation, are stunning. It’s a sad reality that the only way we hear of their art is incidentally while covering war.
All the more reason to see this.
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Porcelain War is playing in theatres starting December 6, 2024.
Selected Movie Quote: “When they die, Russia knows we’re here.”
[Rating 4.5/5] - dir. Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev - 2024 - Ukraine - R - 1h 27m - Documentary