Movie review Dissident: historical drama set in 1960s Ukraine

Dissident, directed by Ukrainians Stanislaw Gurenko and Andriy Alferov, is a historical drama about dissidents in Ukraine that, despite being set in the 1960s, proves incredibly relevant due to the ongoing war with Russia. The film celebrates the heroes of the Ukrainian resistance of the past as well as today's fighters for liberation from foreign hegemony. The context of social revolt and continuous political turmoil of those years is described through the narration of the main characters. 

Oleg, the protagonist, is a man deeply marked by events, who struggles to return to civilian life after a long period in a prison camp. His wife Vilena, deeply attached to him, aspires to a quiet life, but her desires are constantly shattered by the torments that consume her husband's soul. Taras, on the other hand, is an intellectual ready to risk everything to defend freedom of thought.

The narrative develops mainly around the figure of the protagonist Oleg, who in the end will choose to take his own life, burning himself alive with gasoline, rather than conforming to the repression of the dictatorship. His extreme gesture of protest, emulated by many people in those years in the states controlled by the Soviet Union, testifies to a definitive refusal of conformism and acceptance of the authoritarianism of the communist regime. 

The film stands out for its oppressive, almost claustrophobic atmosphere, charged with emotional tension. The choice of a slow and thoughtful narration indeed emphasizes the sense of suffocation and control, effectively reflecting the fear and repression that permeate the protagonists' experience. 

Dissident is a work that seeks to put Ukraine's past and present into perspective, paying homage to a generation of freedom fighters. The film, in competition at the Turin Film Festival, has been praised for its intimate and humanistic approach and its ability to convey a universal message of resistance and hope.

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