Film Review: Maidan (12A) (Ukraine/Netherlands 2014) (Director: Sergi Loznitsa) (Ukrainian with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Wednesday 30.07.2015, 18:30

This is a documentary detailing events within the period of the 'Maidan' resistance in Ukraine from late 2013 to early 2014. 

The form of documentary was both unusual and familiar. There was no talking heads as has become the fashion with documentaries. Putting to one side the use of minimal title-cards to assist with minimal context, there was nothing added to the sound and vision captured by the camera (except the necessary subtitles for the non-Ukrainian audience). This causes the film to have a similar film to a 'Dogma '95' film, where the objective is to not add any (or minimal) artifice enabling the film to have a hyper-real quality. This might sound like an odd comment in regard to a documentary, though quickly consider the amount of documentaries you have seen which have had stirring music added, or other additives to manipulate. This assisted the film, although initially difficult to get into and requiring of full attention to engage with, to become a very immersive  and engrossing experience. 

This was a humbling and humane film which demonstrated real community, when a genuinely significant proportion of the populace felt they had no choice left but to use their collective might. 

I would recommend the film to folk, though it is likely to be hard to find at the cinema; the screening I was at was a one-off. I would envisage that this is the sort of film that is likely to be shown on BBC4 at some point and I don't think it would loose much by being seen on a television screen. I feel it is only fair to mention that the film is 2 and a 1/4 Hours and I am sure this would put some off from watching. Never the less, I had felt glad that I had seen it and feel more informed as a result. 

Rating: 09/10.