Review of Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015) by Dave C — 10 Nov 2015

Afineevsky documents the Maidan protests in Kiev in the winter of 2014 with a stark and unsettling realism. Utilizing a vast collection of footage from a variety of sources who experienced the revolution first hand, the film edits it all together to form a memorable and impactful narrative that puts us right in the middle of the streets. It is an unsettling and emotional experience that sits with you long after the final credits.

I suppose it could be discussed as a small weakness, but the film takes stride to limit anything that might distract from the reigning narrative: Creating a picture of a United Ukraine. Thus we get very little regarding international involvement, and only small portions of perspective from inside the political backrooms. The film also avoids any prolonged mention of Russia and its involvement (although the film makes sure to frame what it perceives as the central problem, which is a hopeful relationship with the EU that can provide the freedom that as eluded Ukraine in its ties with the East). This choice is also a strength though, as there is undeniable power in the picture that it does uphold. It would be difficult to deny that this picture remains the most important one for those who lived through the street footage that the documentary utilizes.

My experience with Winter On Fire is a particularly emotional one. I am not Ukrainian, but my wife is. Together we recently completed an adoption from a Ukrainian orphanage a year ago. It remains unsettling to think that our original date to travel would have landed us in the middle of these events. As it happens, we found ourselves walking the streets of the Maidan square a mere 6 months later. Most of the destruction was cleaned up, massive Ukrainian flags covering the damaged buildings that surround the square. There were remnants of burnt tires, and tributes to the fallen protestors that lined the uphill walkway where the snipers rained down their fatal shots.

The trip and the documentary humbled me. I know nothing of what it was like (and still is) to stand up for their freedom, to give their lives for what they felt was right and good, and to have to experience what they did in the middle of such a cold and dark time for their Country. And yet I have had the privilege of having my perspective broadened, of being allowed to partner with helping to raise one of their younger generation in the safety of a free Country. The documentary also helps frame the significance of the Independence Day display of military might that we had the opportunity to witness while we were in the process of our adoption. What I take for granted (even as we move towards Remembrance Day here in Canada) I am at least able to recognize now with a renewed sense of appreciation and recognition.

The climax of the film ends with Viktor Yanukovych fleeing to Russia, leading to the final powerful images of a United Ukraine. Yanukovych is denounced, a new election is called, and the tired protestors are finally given a sense that the previous 93 days were worth something, accomplished something. The film moves quickly through the events that lead us to the setting of these dark winter days, but the footage we are allowed access too here provides all the emotional heart and urgency needed to understand what the Ukrainian people were up against in revisiting the motivations of the Orange Revolution. It only gets more difficult to watch as we move towards the heightened conflict of the final days of the Maidan protests, with the horrific nature of the events resulting in death, exhaustion and persistent dedication. The scenes with Priests and medics walking through gun fire are absolutely gut wrenching.

The theme of Unity hits home through pictures of diversity. The film provides heartbreaking pictures of citizens coming together from across the Country: the very young and old, priests and medics, former military directors, rich and poor, and people from a variety of faiths, beliefs and practices. The image at the end that shows all of these people standing together under one purpose and with a common experience that bonds them is an incredible display that takes me back to that Independence Day display.

No matter where one comes from in interpreting the mess of the East/West relationship, this documentary reminds us that this is, underneath it all, a very human story about a devastating human experience. From our current vantage point we can recognize that the revolution still feels far from over. What they fought for still feels like it hangs in the balance. And yet, as the film attests, there is no denying that something real happened in these 93 days. Call it a defining moment in starting the momentum towards a still hopeful freedom. Call it a reigning symbol for what the Orange Revolution ultimately hoped for in its own future. Call it a tragedy and a victory. However we look at it, let's make sure not to turn our eyes away from the battle that still rages. The film invites us to gain some perspective, to walk through a visual representation of what those of us in a more privileged place would have a hard time comprehending. On Remembrance Day we have an opportunity to remember our own fallen. Let's also remember our neighbors.