This is so surprisingly horrible; I'm low-key in shock. Especially remembering how much I liked 'The Saint' by the same director, this one is a pretty big stinker.This just feels so soulless and disingenuous all over. It doesn't matter if Blaževičius had the crumbling marriage story or the russian invasion of Ukraine and its effects on other countries in the region, but it feels like one came first, and the other one just stuck onto it cuz the initial thought wasn't enough. Whether it's all the Ukrainians that purely speak russian or the scene at the club that feels more like mocking than supporting, it's careless about Ukraine, it's careless about the marriage, it's careless about gay representation, and eventually it's careless for everything that's going on. The war feels more like a background to emotionally exploit for cinematic merits rather than genuine concern and solidarity put on screen.Outside of sentimentality to overpower the ridiculous and out-of-touch scenarios of this movie, it also heavily likes harmony. And, hey, not to say that a buzzing war and 12 years of marriage lost for nothing will create anything near harmony, but cinematically… wouldn't have hurt to try. Such poor scripts and, at times, poor performances that make me feel that American audiences were just bewildered by the amusing aesthetic of war that never touched them. But at least it's that kind of movie that, while bad, still keeps you invested.Just to clarify, I really struggle to believe that Andrius has any evil intent in his heart. But this bombastic imitation of support just feels weird, probably made on a more impulsive than thought-out level. But still, I don't blame him as a human. Only as a director.2026 rankedА ще, я українка, тому якщо претензії з приводу моєї перспективи на фільм були пов'язані з цим, можете забути :)
