On January 5, the Ukrainian-Polish historical drama Shchedryk, directed by Olesya Morgunets-Isayenko, was released on the big screens of Ukraine. The world premiere of the film took place on March 4, 2022. At that time, we did not feel like going to the cinema, instead, the film managed to travel around the world, to visit various festivals in many countries. We finally watched it, so now we are ready to share our impressions.

“Schedryk” / Carol of the Bells

Genre history, drama
Director Olesya Morgunets-Isayenko
In roles Yana Koroleva, Andrii Mostrenko, Polina Gromova, Anastasia Mateshko, Ioanna Opozda, Myroslav Ganishevskyi, Tomash Sobchak, Alla Bineeva, Khrystyna Ushytska, Oksana Mukha
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2022
Site IMDb

1939 year. City of Stanislaviv (Ivano-Frankivsk). Ukrainian, Jewish and Polish families live in the same house. All is not well between them in relations, especially between Poles and Ukrainians. But the occupation of Poland by the Germans with the help of the Soviet Union brings people together and shows who the real enemy is here.

A long war will follow, and later the communist “liberators” will come. Someone will be taken to camps in Germany, someone will be taken away by “advice”, but there will always be a place for humanity, courage and love in this house. Over time, troubles are played by “Schedryk”, which “makes people kinder”.

Work on the tape “Schedryk” began long before the start of the full-scale invasion. At that time, few could have imagined that Ukrainian viewers would understand so well the main characters who hear the sirens and hide from the bombings in the basements.

The viewer is familiar with the entire range of emotions of the characters, when “liberators” come to their city, change their flags to foreign ones, and settle the military in the apartments of those who were killed or taken to torture.

All these moments from the history of Ukraine are now very well synchronized with reality, so the viewer dissolves in the film as quickly as possible literally from the first minutes after it starts. Of course, in this case there is also a peaceful life, quarrels over trifles, clashes between families, misunderstanding and lack of evidence. But it is precisely such moments that intensify the pain, suffering and despair that comes to the house of the heroes and remains there forever.

“Schedryk” was filmed with high quality, and the picture was probably passed through some filter, which makes the movie “old-fashioned”, and therefore more authentic. The limited budget also catches the eye, so 95% of the time recording takes place in the house where the main characters live. And yet, the film team did a good job of conveying the atmosphere of that time. Interior details, clothes, speech, food, customs and a lot of other important details are very carefully selected here.

The song “Schedryk” itself sounds often and on any occasion, it symbolizes hope for a bright future. True, in some moments its execution seemed illogical or senseless, but for the most part its content, importance and sacred meaning for our people are conveyed as accurately as possible.

“Shchedryk” does a good job of revealing the themes of the Holocaust, the repressions of the USSR against Poles and Ukrainians, the cruelty and stubbornness of the Soviet government. But still, these moments are shown too straightforwardly and crudely, without misunderstandings, gray halftones and double layers, which make a good movie outstanding.

Many cool Ukrainian and Polish actors appeared in the films. But the biggest impression is made by one of the main characters – music teacher Sofia Ivanyuk. Her role was played by Yana Koroleva, and it was a film debut for the girl.

If I hadn’t found this fact on the Internet, I would never have thought that this was the first film work for the actress. She got the difficult and diverse role of a wife and mother who sees the death of family members. She suffers and despairs, is afraid and cries, but remains indomitable to the end.

The roles of the Germans, various Soviet party members and the military were incredibly played. The children coped very well with their work, but they became the weakest point of the picture. Of course, I make an allowance for the fact that it is difficult for a child to play, especially in such a serious film. But all the same, their mostly mediocre acting destroys the impression of several important moments of the plot. I can’t help but notice that this only applies to some important scenes. Because the children coped perfectly with the rest of the places.

There is also illogicality in the actions of some characters, sometimes plot devices did not lead to further disclosure of the story. But all this is only a pale shadow of trouble. They cannot defile a quality Ukrainian film that everyone should see.

Pros:
the maximum veracity of the selected historical segment, synchronization with the feelings of modern Ukrainians, incredible attention to details, good acting, especially the film debut of Yana Koroleva is impressive

Cons:
mediocre performance of child actors in important scenes, some illogicalities in the plot and actions of the characters, too straightforward display of the horrors of the Soviet government, not always appropriate song “Schedrik”

Conclusion:
Shchedryk is a good Ukrainian film made with love and respect for history and people. This is a skillfully conveyed painful historical period for us, which resonates more than ever with the present, therefore it almost immediately finds a response in the hearts of the audience. Despite some flaws in the plot and gaps in the children’s acting, “Shchedryk” should be seen by every Ukrainian. Despite all the horrors shown there, this film offers hope and it does so with the help of the best and most famous Christmas carol in the world