The Guide

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Audience Member The director is tremendously talented. The style is reminiscent of Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker. Despite the sadness of some of the events, you are immersed in a world of supernatural beauty. The journeys through nature have an ethereal transcendent quality to them. The blindness of the main character adds to this. The death toll of Stalin's famine was estimated at 7-10 million. This was one of the worst cases of genocide in human history. In this movie your soul feels the weight of this tragedy, but the movie does not dwell on this. It is the setting, not the main narrative thrust. Hope and tender moments of compassion fill the screen. When this movie shows tragedy it is ultimately contrasted with a the resistance of a human spirit that refuses to die. This movie is also a powerful reminder. The false promises of communism, which merely pretends to be a collectivist philosophy while actually operating more like a mafia, are juxtaposed with the real promises of compassion and love for one's neighbor. We are also shown communist propaganda tactics that mask true intentions and create confusion. Similar spin tactics accompany the war today. This is the film that Ukraine needed to make in response to what is happening to it right now. But it is so much more than that. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review scott e It's kind of amateur hour here. Ugly, plodding, and poorly acted. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Regal theaters just added this to their lineup over the weekend. I was originally going to see 'The Outfit', then I saw this and looked into it. It's a 2014 Ukrainian film and was added as a fundraiser for the Ukraine. It's a solid film with hints of other movies I've seen in a similar setting, either time, place or both. It also makes me think of 'Kolya' the wonderful Czech film by Jan Svěrák. The character of Ivan reminds me of Zdeněk Svěrák's (Jan's father ) character in 'Kolya'. The film does nothing to improve upon the image of the Russian/Soviet military or police officers as vicious, brutal automatons who 'just follow orders', no matter who the means they have to assault or even kill. The performances are uniformly strong, with the great majority peopled by non-actors filling the roles of poor villagers, well-off aristocracy, artists, those military/police figures, and the kobzari. Kobzari were itinerant Ukrainian bards who sang to their own accompaniment, played on a multistringed bandura or kobza. They were often blind and became predominantly so by the 1800s. Kobzar literally means 'kobza player', a Ukrainian stringed instrument of the lute family, and more broadly — a performer of the musical material associated with the kobzar tradition. Stanislav Boklan as Ivan, the blind kobzar, and Anton Sviatoslav Greene as Peter, are the protagonists in the film. Boklan is brilliant as the blind man with the heightened senses and wisdom to survive in the direst of environments and conditions. Greene is the boy who is Ivan's eyes but in truth is protected and looked after by Ivan as they try to make their way to the safety Peter and his vital documents require. Overall, nice work by Oles Sanin, his crew, and the players. I'm happy I chose to contribute to the fundraiser and hope a great many others will do the same. 3.7 stars Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review sandy H Passionate, suspenseful, beautifully shoot. This is a film that speaks to the tragedy of today in a story that grips from beginning to final scene. If you love a story well told that takes you on a journey someplace you may have never been, treat yourself to seeing The Guide. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/18/22 Full Review Audience Member It is crazy how similar things were in 1930 as they are today. Great story, acting and cinematography. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/22 Full Review Read all reviews

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