In response to the Russian occupation of Ukraine, Netflix has uploaded its powerful Oscar-nominated 2015 documentary on the Maidan Square Revolution onto YouTube.
Winter on Fire
Ukrainian flag flies. Production still from “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom.” Image: courtesy of Netflix This march is a peak in the enormous display of unity of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine is an ethnically and religiously diverse nation with people of several cultures and languages, and yet across the board, there was an ethos of solidarity. Religious leaders of all the Abrahamic faiths were all there in support of Maidan as well as people from all walks of life.
Police barricade. Production still from “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom.” Image: courtesy of Netflix The first-person accounts after the fact drive home how desperate the situation really was. “Here we were burning tires. Here we were throwing Molotov cocktails …”. One of the most engaging interviewees is a 12-year-old homeless boy who was on the front lines. He matter-of-factly explains how to make a Molotov cocktail, and speaks of seeing his friends killed.
The sadness and the loss are raw and in your face. Besides the one-minute historical video-graphic, the story is told entirely through interviews with survivors and footage of the carnage. Afineevsky focuses strongly on emotional and personal experiences rather than the nitty-gritty politics of what was actually going on, and while this makes for a compelling film, it seems a missed opportunity to explain the significance of Russia’s imperialist exploits.