A True Look Into the Horrors of What a Prisoner of War Endures

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MOVIE REVIEW
Reflection (Vidblysk)
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2021
Runtime: 2h 8m
Director(s): Valentyn Vasyanovych
Writer(s): Valentyn Vasyanovych
Cast: Roman Lutskiy, Nika Myslytska, Nadia Levchenko, Andriy Rymaruk, Ihor Shulha
Where To Watch: Premiering in select theaters and virtual cinemas on May 6, 2022

Picturesque is the first word that came to mind while watching this film. Not only did Valentyn Vasyanovych write and direct the movie, but he also served as the cinematographer and editor. There was a vision, and the film captured it perfectly. While the film is probably one of the most beautifully shot I’ve seen in some time, the content went from stunning to heartbreaking.

Roman Lutskyi plays our lead, Serhiy, a Ukrainian surgeon who is captured after enlisting to fight Russian forces in the Donbas region. While the film is ultimately about learning how to be human again, the trials that one goes through as a prisoner of war are at the front and center. The things that Serhiy sees could ruin someone for life. I won’t detail what happens, but the scenes of torture, violence, and humiliation show the depths of what he struggles with—the traumatic events and permanent scars that could destroy someone.

If you’ve seen SALÒ, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM (first off, I’m sorry), but secondly, some moments felt like a mirror image of the pure evil at play in these vastly different scenarios. I would never say the two films are the same; while I know SALÒ is an acclaimed film for its importance in cinematic history, I would never knowingly suggest someone watch it. On the other hand, REFLECTION is a tale of the terror that the people of Ukraine are and have been going through since 2014. I feel it’s imperative to recognize what is still actively going on, even though our news has seemed to move on.

I applaud Film Movement for its continued involvement in bringing to light these films that show an in-depth view of what few can only imagine while on the outside of it all.

REFLECTION is part of Film Movement’s UKRAINIAN FILM COLLECTION, a collection of new, critically acclaimed Ukrainian films, all of which depict the experience of Ukrainians in the Donbas – the contested Eastern region occupied by Russian-backed separatist militants that served as a pretext to the current crisis. For all screenings, the company is donating 10% of gross ticket sales to the Ukraine Crisis Fund administered by Americares. Americares is currently providing rush emergency support for Ukraine, delivering medicine, medical supplies, and emergency funding to support families and people affected by the Ukraine crisis.

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