As the war in Ukraine stretches into its third year, the possibility of an imminent end seems nowhere in sight. But director Valentyn Vasyanovych is already imagining the future in To the Victory! whose very title declares the outcome for Ukraine. Though the filmmaker’s invigoratingly mischievous followup to his double whammy of bleak dramas Atlantis and Reflection is relatively lighter fare, it remains no less uncertain about the direction of the country he so dearly believes in.
It’s one year after the war and Ukraine is on unsteady footing. The government is mulling plans to close half the schools and universities, and given that women left the country en masse during the conflict and haven’t returned, it’s no surprise. Ukraine has become a country of men, which makes it all the more difficult for movie director Valik to mount his next picture. Playing a fictionalized version of himself, Vasyanovych is in the midst of production on a film about parents and children co-starring himself and his teenage son Yarik (Hryhoriy Naumov). But he confesses to his producer Vlad (Vladen Odudenko — also an actual producer on To the Victory!) that he’s not sure if it’s relevant, and wants to pivot the movie to thematically address the depopulation of Ukraine. Valik is also mourning the fracture of his family, as his wife and daughter have established a life abroad, with no plans to come back.
The playful, meta aspects of To the Victory! are enjoyable, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, but never overwhelming the film’s narrative arc. We’re always certain of where we stand with Valik, whose process of making the film-within-the-film is one that sees him wrestling with the state of his family, country, and what lies ahead. Via Valik, Vasyanovych also has some fun at his own expense, with his onscreen character lamenting that his new film doesn’t have the juicier elements of Atlantis which included a suicide and sex scene. Valik wonders if any film festivals will even be interested in his latest venture at all. (Of course, Vasyanovych has an open door in plenty of festivals around the world).
Unfolding in Vasyanovych’s trademark long, locked off shots, the formal approach balances the screenplay’s structural tease with the thematic issues he wishes to discuss. Peppered with literal and metaphorical landmines, they are ably handled by the cast made up largely of non-actors/Vasyanovych’s own crew members. As discussions range from moviemaking to Ukraine itself, the undeniable intimacy between everyone involved makes resonant the larger ideas at play. Is it responsible for artists to pursue their craft as a country rebuilds? Is it delusion to imagine that things can return to how they were before? Should Ukrainians who have fled the war, and made the most of opportunities elsewhere, feel compelled to come back and start anew when the war ends? Vasyanovych and Valik are tormented by not having those answers.
As To the Victory! draws to a close, Valik’s film has wrapped, and he drives around the neighbourhood of Podil in Kyiv with Yarik in his recently deceased father’s vintage car. As they drive by Zhovten Cinema, Valik fondly reminisces that he once lived nearby, and would regularly go to the movies and take a dip in an adjacent pool. Eventually, Valik lets Yarik take the wheel as he works the pedals, giving his son his first driving lesson. As a metaphor for two generations of Ukrainians looking both backward and forward, it couldn’t be more on the nose. But when Yarik jokingly warns his father, in the film’s last line of dialogue, “Just don’t fall asleep, so we don’t end up somewhere weird,” Vasyanovych delivers a profound note of discontent. It’s a sober warning to his countrymen about their duty to stay vigilant, and it’s a lesson for the audience to take with them as the director smash cuts to credits.
Director: Valentyn Vasyanovych
Screenplay: Valentyn Vasyanovych
Cast: Valentyn Vasyanovych, Vladlen Odudenko, Misha Lubarsky, Sergii Stepanskyy, Volodymyr Yatsenko, Marianna Novikova, Hryhoriy Naumov
Producers: Volodymyr Yatsenko, Valentyn Vasyanovych, Anna Yatsenko, Marija Razgute, Iya Myslytska
Cinematography: Misha Lubarsky, Valentyn Vasyanovych
Production design: Vladlen Odudenko
Costume design: Hanna Chabaniuk
Editing: Valentyn Vasyanovych
Music: Dominykas Digimas
Sound: Sergii Stepanskyy
Production companies: Arsenal Films (Ukraine), ForeFilms (Ukraine), M-Films (Lithuania)
World sales: Best Friend Forever
Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (Platform)
In Ukrainian
105 minutes
