Reflection
2021 [UKRAINIAN]
Drama / War
95%
TOMATOMETER
· 21 reviews
6.6/10
700
Plot summary
The film centers on Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy, who is captured by the Russian military forces in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine, and while in captivity, he is exposed to horrifying scenes of humiliation, violence and indifference toward human life. After his release, he returns to his comfortable middle-class apartment and tries to find a purpose in life by rebuilding his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife. He learns how to be a human being again, how to be a father and help his daughter, who needs his love and support.
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
Takes its time. Visually sophisticated.
All the world's a morgue, and all the men and women merely bodies
Valentyn Vasyanovytch's films about the conflict that broke out in Ukraine in 2014 are bleak. With his previous film Atlantis (2019) Vasyanovytch gained international acclaim by balancing the bleakness with scenes of great visual poetry. On account of that film's quality I had high expectations for Vidblysk (Reflection).
Sadly, that visual poetry is almost entirely lacking. All that remains is bleakness. Vasyanovytch is known for his long, static shots. Here such shots linger on torture scenes, which will make many viewers uncomfortable.
Morgues are a common feature in Vasyanovytch's films, but his cold, clinical style makes every indoor location resemble one, including living rooms, which are invariably drab gray.
The film's biggest flaw is that the protagonists are nearly always filmed with long shots, This, combined with a very superficial characterization, make it impossible for the viewer to engage with them emotionally. So no matter how bleak the film became, the result left me rather cold.
There are one or two scenes where an attempt is made to provide meaningful depth, but the film's overall lack of inspiration makes them fall flat.