Stories That Need to Be Told and Shared

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MOVIE REVIEW
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
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Genre: Documentary, War
Year Released: 2020 (Sundance Film Festival) Wide release 2022
Runtime: 1h 14m
Director(s): Iryna Tsilyk
Writer(s): Iryna Tsilyk
Cast: Ganna Gladka, Stanislav Gladky, Anastasiia Trofymchuk
Where To Watch: Premiering in theaters and virtual cinemas on April 22nd

First, I would like to give a big shout-out to Film Movement for allowing me to share my thoughts on this film. Film Movement’s Ukrainian film collection contains 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 for the current crisis. As part of Film Movement’s Ukrainian film collection, 10% of gross ticket sales will be donated to the Ukraine Crisis Fund, administered by Americares. Americares is a BBB-accredited charity with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. They have over 40 years of experience responding to emergencies, including conflicts that lead to large-scale displacements. Americares currently provides rush emergency support for Ukraine, delivering medicine, medical supplies, and emergency funding to support families and people affected by the Ukraine crisis.

This is such an unfortunately well-timed film, I mean, it was added to the collection for that reason, but it’s just a shame that it was necessary for those reasons. On the bright side, we get a look into this family's world and how they cope with the situation they’re in the best they can. I’ve always had an excellent appreciation for films about films; I think it’s an incredible process to make a film (a documentary in this case) about someone making a film. It showcases the rawness of the filmmaking process, especially in this case where the filmmakers are a family stuck in the middle of a warzone.

If you’re reading this, you likely have a relatively great life compared to the situation seen on screen here. It was challenging watching these daily experiences, yet the family is so used to these daily struggles that they can take them in stride as though they’re almost not there. I would be an absolute mess, and they’re just living the best lives they can.

Telling a story is an essential aspect of documentary filmmaking; however, sometimes, the story tells itself so easily that it becomes secondary. The film's story was an interesting topic, but the director Tsilyk was able to film it in such a way as to blur the lines between a documentary and a live-action film. The film is made that much better because you can tell the family while struggling through a terrible situation, still has the utmost passion for film and aren’t afraid to show it. Their love for cinemas shines through the discussions and visions that they put together during the movie.

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