IFFR 2021 - Dear Comrades!
IFFRWith its startling true story, Dear Comrades!, and director Andrei Konchalovsky depends greatly on the vague and missing details that were never offered the benefit of clarity. While history may never know the gritty, specific details of the Novocherkassk massacre, the sole benefit of such subverted atrocities is that it gives elasticity to Konchalovsky’s narration of it. Post-war filmmaking from the remnants of the Eastern Bloc, who survived the horrors, often benefits from an unflinching detail and remembrance of the trauma. They desire the truth, and filmmakers, generations later, still wish to convey the fear and disdain they have for those that tore their families apart.
Tension and conflict are at the heart of Dear Comrades!, whether it be the sweeping horrors of workers’ uprisings or the familial strife found between a mother and daughter in difficult circumstances. While they argue and rip emotions from one another, there is a love and care present between the two that fuels the later moments. Anger and dismay are at the forefront of their relationship, but it is an unspoken façade, built up to protect their love in a time of hate. Dear Comrades! does well to keep this message alive through a series of ghastly history and horrid events. Yuliya Vysotskaya is on phenomenal form throughout this, matching the pacing and consistent style Konchalovsky provides.
Befitting of the black and white colour palette, Dear Comrades! leans into this as more than just a stylistic choice. Harbouring a distant memory of the post-war films that came before it, there are flickers of reminiscence. Konchalovsky’s strength lies in reminding audiences that, while these times may have passed, they are still as important and terrifying today. Presenting cold-hearted governments oppressing fearful citizens, Dear Comrades! captures the iron fist of communist rule without actually showing those in charge, for much of the running time. Muttered names and the panic that troubles Vysotskaya’s performance as Lyuda are far more effective in conveying the terror these despot soldiers possess. The unavoidable conflict is reserved for the end, and used in brief, brutal scenes that accelerate the tension.
A broad scope of history is provided. It is the little details Konchalovsky adds that pay dividends in the end. Scenes of establishing dialogue are paired with incongruous pockets of history, the underhand dealing of rations and the panic that follows uncertainty of vicious regimes. The mundanity of family life, no matter what regime these people live under, is largely unchanged. Through arguments with the hairdresser, chain-smoking and infighting with the daughters and Dads that litter the smaller-than-average flat, Dear Comrades! shows a disdain felt for the fellow countryman. They are comrades in title only, and the venomous bile that came from the USSR at this time is highlighted with brutal, unflinching detail. It is an emotive powerhouse that details the build-up and fallout of a horrifying massacre, which the western world should be made well aware of.