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Volcano (2018 film)

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Volcano
Official poster
UkrainianВулкан
Directed byRoman Bondarchuk
Written by
  • Daria Averchenko
  • Roman Bondarchuk
  • Alla Tyutyunnyk
Produced byOlena Yershova
Starring
CinematographyVadym Ilkov
Music byAnton Baibakov
Production
company
Tato Film
Release dates
  • 1 July 2018 (2018-07-01) (KVIFF)
  • 4 April 2019 (2019-04-04) (Ukraine)
Running time
106 min.[1]
CountryUkraine
Budget₴10,000,000

Volcano (Ukrainian title Вулкан, German title Vulcan) is a 2018 Ukrainian-German-Monaco drama film, and the feature directorial debut of Roman Bondarchuk [uk]. Through the character Lukas, an interpreter who is stranded in the region he was to help monitor for a security organization, the film examines the lives of people on the southern Ukrainian steppe who live in anarchic freedom, seemingly forgotten by the outside world.

The film premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) on 1 July 2018 in the East of the West program. It won several awards at international film festivals, including the Grand Prize at festivals in Armenia, Croatia and Morocco. The film has been noted for its stunning visuals and a documentary feel attained through cinéma vérité techniques and the casting of non-actors. Bondarchuk received the Shevchenko National Prize for directing the film.

Plot

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Lukas, an interpreter for the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), drives three colleagues into the deserted countryside of the southern Ukrainian steppe for an inspection tour of military checkpoints near the Crimean border.

Their car breaks down and with no cell phone reception, they find themselves at Beryslav, a district of Ukraine in Kherson Oblast. Here, Lukas walks in search of assistance but fails to find any. On his return, the car with his colleagues has mysteriously disappeared – though he has the keys.

Left alone, Lukas is picked up in a tank by Vova, and brought to a village overlooking the Kakhovka Reservoir. Once at the village, Vova and his daughter Marushka decide to host Lukas who during his stay is distressed by unfortunate events but each time is unexpectedly saved by Vova.

Lukas's life changes while living with Vova, as he realises the feeling of happiness he thought he lost. The more he stays with Vova the more he understands the anarchic life of the village, detached from any common structures. Although Lukas dislikes Vova's eccentricities, he needs his support in the village where drunken gangs carry assault rifles, the police rob detainees, slave labour is practiced, and nobody has a conventional job.

Notwithstanding the village's image, Lukas begins to understand the people through their collective past. Also, he finds himself interested in Vova's eccentricity and falls in love with his daughter Marushka. Finally, Lukas joins Vova in one of his get-rich schemes, diving to one of the drowned villages in the reservoir.

Cast

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Only two professional actors are in the cast: Viktor Zhdanov and Khrystyna Deilyk.[2] Volcano is Deilyk's film debut.[1] Serhiy Stepansky was known to the film-makers from his work as a sound director.[3][2] The rest of the cast were found by Tatiana Simon from villages around the shooting location.[2]

Production

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Writing and development

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The script began development in the early 2010s, initially following a foreigner who was stranded at the Odesa airport due to volcanic eruptions in Iceland, and who then began traveling into the Ukrainian countryside.[3] Writers Daria Averchenko, Roman Bondarchuk and Alla Tyutyunnyk[4] greatly updated the plot following the Euromaidan movement, the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, the Russian annexation of Crimea and the War in Donbass, but kept the title "Volcano". Averchenko noted that the title symbolized the sudden cataclysm that can occur in a person's life.[3][5]

Bondarchuk and Averchenko have backgrounds in documentary-making, and had originally envisioned the project as a documentary.[2] The character Vova is based on Averchenko's uncle.[6][7] The writers based several other characters on family members in Kherson.[5][8][9] The film carries a dedication in memory of those whose villages were flooded by the creation of the Kakhovka Reservoir.[10]

In 2014, the production secured half of its 10,000,000 Ukrainian hryvnia budget from the Ukrainian State Film Agency.[3] It was produced by Olena Yershova of Tato Film (Ukraine) with co-producers Averchenko of South (Ukraine),[11] Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer of Elemag Pictures (Germany) and Michel Merkt of KNM (Monaco).[1]

Filming

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The film was shot in Beryslav, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine,[2] on the Dnieper river, one hour north of Crimea.[5] The main camera was a Red Epic with Ultra Prime lenses; night exteriors were filmed with a Sony Alpha 7. All shooting was from tripod or shoulder mounts.[9] The script was significantly reworked during filming.[12]

Post-production was completed at Arri Media in Germany. According to Bondarchuk, the most complicated shots were the underwater scenes.[9] Bondarchuk also directed a music video for "DakhaBrakha",[13] a song which is used for the closing credits of the film.[6]

Release

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Premiere and festival tour

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Volcano was shown at more than 40 film festivals.[2] An early version of the film was shown in July 2017 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) and the Odesa International Film Festival in the Works in Progress sections.[4] The film had its world premiere on 1 July 2018 at KVIFF, in the East of the West competition program.[14][11] It was also included in the 2018 competition programs of Filmfest München[15] and the Odesa International Film Festival.[16]

Theatrical

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The film was to have been released in Ukraine by distributor Arthouse Traffic on 21 February 2019. However, the distributor was changed to Ukrainian Film Distribution and the release was pushed back[17] to 4 April 2019.[18] Internationally, the film was distributed by Berlin-based Pluto Film Distribution Network.[8]

Streaming and television

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The film was released for streaming in Eastern Europe on HBO Go in early 2019.[19] In March 2020, the film was released on the Takflix streaming service.[20] The film's television premiere was on the Ukrainian public television channel UA:Kultura on 27 June 2019.[13] It was broadcast following Kherson Region on the Volcano (Ukrainian: "Херсонщина на вулкані"), a documentary shot by Bondarchuk and the Volcano crew over seven days.[21]

Reception

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Critical response

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The film has received generally positive reviews in domestic and international media. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 83% fresh based on six reviews.[22]

Dmitry Desyaterik of The Day (Odesa-Kyiv) felt that any lacking of the screenplay was offset by Bondarchuk's ability to compose the beautiful shots, and his familiarity with the ancestral homeland in which he often films.[23] Two reviewers for Vertigo.com.ua were unsettled by the theme that civilization anywhere can break and throw people into anarchy. Sasha Rink alternated from viewing the film as surreal with "hyperbolized parodies" to documentary-realism – emphasized by rough shots and editing – which captured human essence. Jura Povorznyk felt that the film lacked art despite its great concept and cinematography, and found its documentary feel to leave an unsettling aftereffect at the reality of the world and human nature.[24][25]

Lukyan Galkin of Moviegram called Volcano "the most Ukrainian film in recent years". He compared the film to Wild Field, but with "Ukrainianness" completely shaping it, with magic realism, social absurdity and powerful unseen dangers at every turn.[26] A review for Pryamiy kanal praised the cinematography with its attention on detail after detail, the casting of the leads, and the film's contribution to Ukrainian poetic cinema.[27]

Marina Moinikhan described the film as an Acid Western with the protagonist's "psychedelic dissolution" of identity in a midlife crisis.[28] Igor Grabovich wrote for Detector Media that the film blends genres from horror to western, and black comedy to road film, and praised production designer Kirill Shuvalov and cinematographer Vadym Ilkov. He found the film to be a hopeful modern fairy tale as Lukas is symbolically reborn in the countryside.[29] Grabovich called it "a film about the eternal" which survives the fall of civilization.[12]

Demetrios Matheou of Screen Daily noted the film "ought to be fictional but rings true", juxtaposing brutal situations with alluring imagery, while realism is achieved with cinéma vérité techniques. He particularly noted the casting of non-actors, with Stepansky's underplayed reactions drawing in the audience.[30] Vassilis Economou of Cineuropa wrote that the movie was grounded by its "documentary feel" even when the narrative approached absurdity, allowing fantasy and reality to exist in balance. He felt that Bondarchuk was telling his own personal story as a Kherson native in his thirties raised in Kyiv.[5] Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a poetically surreal love letter" to the Kherson region, creating a world of "alien beauty".[8]

Alissa Simon of Variety praised the visuals and the score by Anton Baibakov, and listed Bondarchuk among the three most-intriguing Ukrainian filmmakers.[6] Meredith Taylor of Filmuforia wrote that Volcano had one of the most breathtaking opening sequences in 2018 film. She felt that the film captured the dichotomy of modern Ukraine, "hating Russians for stealing their country" but nostalgic for Soviet-era authority and security.[10]

Awards and nominations

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Bondarchuck received the Shevchenko National Prize, Ukraine's highest state prize for cultural works, for directing Volcano.[31] The film won the Grand Prize at international film festivals in Armenia, Croatia and Morocco.[13]

List of awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Category Nominee or recipient Result Ref
2015 Coronation of the Word [uk] (Ukraine) Best Screenplay Daria Averchenko, Roman Bondarchuk and Alla Tyutyunnyk Won [4]
2017 8th Odesa International Film Festival (Ukraine) Best Work in Progress Volcano Won [32]
2018 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic) East to West Award
(Czech: Na východ od Západu) 		Volcano Nominated [33]
15th Yerevan International Film Festival (Armenia) Golden Apricot grand prize Volcano Won [34][35]
36th Filmfest München (Germany) International Independents Volcano Nominated [36]
25th Palić European Film Festival (Serbia) Parallels and Encounters Volcano Nominated [37][38]
9th Odesa International Film Festival (Ukraine) Golden Duke [uk] Volcano Nominated
1st Eurasia International Film Festival (Kazakhstan) Best Director Roman Bondarchuk Won [39]
36th Vancouver International Film Festival (Canada) Most Popular International Feature Volcano Nominated
23rd Split Film Festival (Croatia) Grand Prize Volcano Won [40]
2nd Pingyao International Film Festival (China) Audience Jury Prize Volcano Won [41]
First National Film Critics Award [uk] (Ukraine) Kinokolo Award for Best Feature Film [uk] Volcano Nominated [42]
Best Actor Sergey Stepansky Nominated
25th Listapad (Belarus) Best Sound / Score Anton Baibakov Won [43]
25th Rabat International Film Festival [fr] (Monaco) Grand Prize Volcano Won [44]
49th International Film Festival of India Special jury prize for a directorial debut Volcano Won [45]
2019 Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival (United States) Special Jury Award – Emerging Filmmaker Volcano Won [46]
33rd Fribourg International Film Festival (Switzerland) Commendation of the Ecumenical Jury Volcano Won [47]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Volcano — Press Kit" (PDF) (Press release). 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Konstantinova, Katerina (29 March 2019). "Життя як на "Вулкані"" [Life as on the "Volcano"]. DT.ua. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Chornous, Anna (3 April 2019). "Залягти на дно в Бериславі. Виходить фільм Романа Бондарчука "Вулкан"" [Lie on the bottom in Berislav. Roman Bondarchuk's film "Volcano" is released] (in Ukrainian). BBC News Ukraine. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Презентуємо настроєвий тізер фільму "Вулкан"" [We present the mood teaser of the movie "Volcano"] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian State Film Agency. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Economou, Vassilis (2 July 2018). "KARLOVY VARY 2018 East of the West. Review: Volcano". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Simon, Alissa (5 April 2019). "Film Review: 'Volcano'". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  7. ^ Malyshenko, Alex (21 October 2018). "Чи боїшся ти Херсонщини?: інтерв'ю з Романом Бондарчуком" [Are you afraid of Kherson region ?: interview with Roman Bondarchuk]. Vertigo.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Dalton, Stephen (13 July 2018). "'Volcano': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Whyte, Jason (7 October 2018). "VIFF 2018 interview: VOLCANO director Roman Bondarchuk". GetReelMovies. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b Taylor, Meredith (1 July 2018). "Volcano (2018) **** Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2018". Filmuforia. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b "У Карлових Варах відбулася світова прем'єра українського фільму "Вулкан"" [World premiere of Ukrainian film "Volcano" took place in Karlovy Vary] (in Ukrainian). 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  12. ^ a b Grabovich, Igor (8 April 2019). ""Вулкан": люди та міражі. Кіно дня" ["Volcano": people and mirages. Movie of the day] (in Ukrainian). ukrinform.ua. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "Канал "UA: Культура" покаже фільм "Вулкан" Романа Бондарчука" [The UA: Culture channel will show Roman Bondarchuk's film Vulcan]. Detector Media. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  14. ^ "На кінофестивалі у Карлових Варах митці згадали про Олега Сенцова" [At the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, artists mentioned Oleg Sentsov]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). 1 July 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Український фільм покажуть на престижному фестивалі в Мюнхені" [The Ukrainian film will be shown at a prestigious festival in Munich] (in Ukrainian). Obozrevatel. 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  16. ^ Apostolova, Lilia (13 June 2018). "9-й Одеський кінофестиваль оголосив програму та склад журі" [The 9th Odesa Film Festival announced the program and composition of the jury] (in Ukrainian). Detector Media. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  17. ^ Vasiliev, Sergey (18 December 2018). ""Вулкан" змінив дистриб'ютора" [Vulcan changed distributor] (in Ukrainian). Kinobuk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Вулкан" [Volcano] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Film Distribution. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Vulkan/Volcano (2018)" (in Czech). HBO GO. 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  20. ^ "На Takfliх вийшли ще два українські фільми" [Two more Ukrainian films were released on Takflix]. ukrinform.ua. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Канал "UA: Культура" покаже фільм "Вулкан" Романа Бондарчука" [On UA:KULTURA – premiere of the documentary film "Kherson region on the volcano"] (in Ukrainian). UA:PBC. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Volcano". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ Desyaterik, Dmitry (17 July 2018). ""Вулкан" і "Три з половиною": успіх для наших" ["Volcano" and "Three and a half": success for ours]. Odesa - Kyiv, Ukraine: День (The Day). Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Щоденники Одеського кінофестивалю: день 5" [Diaries of the Odesa Film Festival: day 5] (in Ukrainian). Vertico.com.ua. 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  25. ^ Rink, Alexandra (4 April 2019). "Us and Them" (in Ukrainian). Vertigo.com.ua. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  26. ^ Galkin, Lukyan (5 April 2019). ""Вулкан": ні зарплати, ні президента, ні міліції" ["Volcano":no salary, no president, no police] (in Ukrainian). Moviegram. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Магічний реалізм українського степу: рецензія на "Вулкан" Романа Бондарчука" [Magical realism of the Ukrainian steppe: a review of Roman Bondarchuk's "Volcano"] (in Ukrainian). Pryamiy kanal. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  28. ^ Moinikhan, Marina (3 April 2019). "Залізна хватка: навіщо дивитися "Вулкан" Романа Бондарчука" [Iron Grip: Why Watch Roman Bondarchuk's "Volcano"] (in Ukrainian). Телекритика. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  29. ^ Grabovich, Igor (4 April 2019). "На "Вулкані"" [On the "Volcano"] (in Ukrainian). Detector Media. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  30. ^ Matheou, Demetrios (8 July 2018). "'Volcano': Karlovy Vary Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  31. ^ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №59/2019 Про присудження Національної премії України імені Тараса Шевченка" [Decree of the President of Ukraine №59 / 2019] (in Ukrainian). Office of the President of Ukraine. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  32. ^ "Премію за найкращий проект Work in progress ОМКФ отримав фільм Романа Бондарчука" [Roman Bondarchuk's film won the award for the best OIFF Work in progress project] (in Ukrainian). Detector Media. 21 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  33. ^ "KVIFF / Katalog filmů". kviff.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  34. ^ "Volkano" (in German). Golden Apricot Yerevan. 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  35. ^ "Український "Вулкан" переміг на кінофестивалі у Вірменії" [Ukrainian "Volcano" won the film festival in Armenia] (in Ukrainian). Detector Media. 14 July 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  36. ^ "Vulkan" (in German). Filmfest Munchen. 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  37. ^ "Volcano". European Film Festival Palic. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Blossom Blossom Valley Best Film in Parallels and Encounters". European Film Festival Palic. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018.
  39. ^ "Український фільм "Вулкан" отримав нагороду за найкращу режисуру на фестивалі в Алмати" [The Ukrainian film "Volcano" won the award for best director at the festival in Almaty] (in Ukrainian). ZIK.ua. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  40. ^ "Український "Вулкан" переміг на кінофестивалі в Хорватії" [Ukrainian Volcano won a film festival in Croatia] (in Ukrainian). Detector Media. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  41. ^ "Фільм "Вулкан" здобув нагороду на кінофестивалі у Китаї" [The film "Volcano" won an award at a film festival in China] (in Ukrainian). ukrinform.ua. 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  42. ^ "Кінокритики оголосили номінантів на премію "Кіноколо"" [Film critics announce nominees for Kinokolo award]. Detector Media (in Ukrainian). 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  43. ^ "Український "Вулкан" отримав нагороду на мінському кінофестивалі "Лістапад"" [Ukrainian "Vulcan" received an award at the Minsk film festival "Listapad"]. Detector Media (in Ukrainian). 12 November 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  44. ^ "Український "Вулкан" отримав Гран-прі кінофестивалю в Марокко" [Ukrainian "Volcano" won the Grand Prix of the Morocco Film Festival]. Detector Media (in Ukrainian). 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  45. ^ "Три українські фільми отримали нагороди міжнародного кінофестивалю в Індії" [Three Ukrainian films have won awards at the International Film Festival in India]. Detector Media (in Ukrainian). 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  46. ^ "MSP Film Society – MSPIFF Jury Awards 2019". Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  47. ^ "33rd Festival international de Films de Fribourg". Interfilm. International Interchurch Film Organisation. 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
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