Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom Review

After the announcement of the Oscar nominations earlier in the week I have started to make an effort and watch everything that is nominated (except Fifty Shades of Grey). The first film I watched is the documentary film 'Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom'. The film is backed by Netflix and won the people's choice award at Toronto Film Festival in 2015. When begining to watch the film I had no idea what I was about to watch.

The movie is about the Euromaidan revolution and the people who took part. The revolution started as a peaceful protest in Independence Square. After the protests went on for longer and longer we start to see people working together to help build a community, which inlcuded hospital, tech centre, kitchen and more.

The protests started because Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych decided to not sign an agreement that would've made Ukraine a memeber of the European Union but rather he allied himself with Russia. Yanukovych had a shaddy history in Ukrainian politics with an earlier election of his being turn over because it was found out that it was rigged.

If I had to describe to you what the movie was about in two words, it would be 'the people'. Right from the begining we start with the people talking to the camera. Most of the movie is told by people who were there at the time of the prostests and there was about 1 or 2 uses of narration and it was to help with the back story. The people who are interviewed come from all walks of life and included men, women, children, family people, fathers, chruch figures and more.

As things progress sympathy takes over as the people fight for what we love most. Freedom. It's made sure we never forget what that too as it's an integral part of the movie. The sympathy is also gained from the people being hurt by the police and the government. However it's not like a narrative film when a character that had one line gets hurt and killed and we are now meant to feel for them, this is true evil and good at show.

This movie contains raw footage of the prostests that ensued over the 94 days. The footage does one major thing. It shows the atrocities that occured which include the violation of human rights and free speech.

This is a movie everyone should see as it will probably make you realise how important your voice is and maybe next time you go to the polls you won't donkey vote. If it doesn't win the Best Documentary Feautre at the Oscars it won't matter (it's not the favorite anyways) because it's a matter of you seeing it and you don't have an excuse if you haven't seen it and if you have Netflix because it's there waiting for you to watch it.

What are your thoughts on this movie if you have seen it? Did you do a double take on what free speech really is?

#documentary #ukraine #revolution