Dear Comrades (2020)

Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy
Stars: Yuliya Vysotskaya, Vladislav Komarov, Andrey Gusev
Runtime: 121 minutes

Synopsis: When the communist government raises food prices in 1962, the rebellious workers from the small industrial town of Novocherkassk go on strike. The massacre which then ensues is seen through the eyes of a devout party activist.

Verdict: It’s a good movie. Seven out of ten. I might even bump it up to an eight in the future. If you’re here for a quick feedback about Russia’s submission for the next Academy Awards, that’s pretty much all you need to know. I don’t consider the rest of this review to feature any heavy spoilers, but I wouldn’t recommend you to keep on reading if you’re genuinely interested in checking out Andrey Konchalovskiy’s “Dear Comrades”.

A black and white feature told using a 4:3 aspect ratio to add authenticity to the times in which the events take place, the film recalls the Novocherkassk massacre that took place in Khrushchev’s Soviet Union when a strike was organized to protest a rise in the price of basic goods. Told through the eyes of a government official and mother of one of the protesters, it juggles between showing us the atrocities that occurred on that day, the KGB’s attempt of hiding what happened, and the protagonist’s search for her daughter in the chaos that followed.

Yuliya Vysotskaya’s lead performance is without a doubt one of the best of 2020. She successfully balances a tough bureaucratic exterior with a soft maternal interior without ever letting one side completely take over. If there was any justice in this world, her acting would be in the conversation for countless awards but if the movie proves anything, it’s the fact that justice is nothing but a hopeless illusion.

Having said all that, and while I did love her performance, a part of me wishes that the film focused more on its historical side of which I had no prior knowledge of. It tells the tale of a dark chapter in modern history that is repeating itself more times than we want to admit, especially in the last few years in which large anti-governmental protests took place in a number of countries and were dealt with using questionable methods.

“Dear Comrades” absolutely deserves the acclaim it’s getting and is absolutely worth watching not only for the interesting story it tells, but also for the gorgeous camerawork it features. Check it out, especially if you loved films such as “The Battle of Algiers” or “Son of Saul”.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10