Ukrainian war drama traces story of an unlikely soldier
The world has watched in horror at the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine this year, but the conflict between the countries has been ongoing in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 2014, when the “Revolution of Dignity” sent former President Victor Yanukovych into exile, and Russia invaded Crimea. During the past eight years, Ukrainian filmmakers have grappled with the war in the east, from Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis,” to Maryna Er Gorbach’s “Klondike.” Marian Bushan’s film “Sniper: The White Raven” joins the ranks of Ukrainian films confronting the events of the past eight years, and though the tone is far more patriotic war movie than existential exegesis, it captures the determination and spirit that has given Ukrainian soldiers — and thereby the country itself — a fighting chance.
Based on the true story of Mykola Voronin, “Sniper: The White Raven,” follows one man’s transformation into a war hero. When we meet Mykola, played by the actor, musician and photographer Aldoshyn Pavlo, he’s living a hippie utopian life in the Donetsk region, teaching physics at the local high school and homesteading a ramshackle sod house on a piece of remote land with his wife, Nastya (Maryna Koshkina).
Tragedy arrives at their doorstep, and Mykola — seeking revenge, place and purpose — joins a volunteer battalion. Derided as a “pacifist,” he takes the moniker “Raven,” and quickly volunteers for sniper training, proving he can assemble his rifle in 18 seconds — blindfolded. His aptitude for physics and math rockets him up in the ranks, and the Raven becomes a kind of avenging angel.
“Sniper: The White Raven” is gorgeously shot: cinematographer Kostiantyn Ponomarov’s camera fluidly travels around the spaces Mykola traverses in his training. Though there’s an over-reliance on sweeping drone shots, it’s helpful to take in the full scope of the land. Ponomarov crafts surreal images of the natural landscape, so important to Ukraine that the gold and blue of the land and sky make up the flag.
The best moments come when Bushan slows down to examine the momentto-moment experience of the sniper: silence and dials and observation; discernment and decision-making and extreme patience.
The aesthetic tends toward the beautiful rather than the bleak, and in doing so, Bushan renders the Ukrainian volunteer battalion and their efforts, training, and mission a beautiful and noble one. It is not necessarily pro-war but it is decidedly pro-soldier, and “pacifist” Mykola turns to the fight with a quickness that would induce whiplash.
We witness the trauma and violence transform his face as he transforms himself in war, but he never questions his quest. “Sniper: The White Raven” fits into the proud nationalism that has united the country to fight back against Russia. Bleak existentialism has no purchase here, and “Sniper: The White Raven” distills that uniquely Ukrainian sense of pride, glory and duty into this story of an unlikely soldier.
In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles
MPAA rating: R (for violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity) Running time: 1:51
Where to watch: In theaters and video on demand