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vkelman
Reviews
Chico (2001)
It never tries to force you to make a moral decision
The main reason I like Chico by Hungarian director Ibolya Fekete is that it never tries to force you to make a moral decision, to view world in black and white only. It's almost opposite to The Hurt Locker (which I honestly dislike) on that matter. Ibolya Fekete narrate her story, allowing movie watcher to determine who is write and who is wrong. And this is not an easy decision... it's not like a primitive story about straight and heroic American soldiers (Hurt Locker).
Also, people in 'Chico' knows what they are fighting for. They may be wrong and they are cruel, but the are not like Americans brought to Iraq by obscure political reasons of W.W...
The more you see 'Chico' the more you start to empathize to its main hero... and you're becoming devastated together with him.
I suspect, though, that it would be harder to understand this movie for people who were not born in USSR or other communist country, who didn't hear their propaganda for years.
Bolse vita (1996)
Refreshing, lovely, and authentic
This movie is surprisingly good and refreshing. It was definitely a low-budget one, shot in a slightly amateurish manner, pretty bad quality, and still - a pleasure to watch. However, I'm not sure it could be really understood by people who never lived in Soviet Union or or surrounding communists countries. But for us, it's so authentic, it re- creates that atmosphere of Perestroika, atmosphere of liberty and lawlessness which co-exist in Eastern Europe's countries at late eighties and early nighties. There is one more thing I like about this movie: I like it's actors. Some of them are professional, some are not, but they are very authentic and cause real sympathy too.