They
really should have just done an AIDS walk. Instead, Rokas Vysniauskas and his
girlfriend Inga Jauskaite agree to deliver a van-load of humanitarian aid to
the Ukrainian defense forces battling “separatists” (a.k.a. Russians) along the
porous Donbass frontline. It will be a much more dangerous mission than they
initially expect in Sharunas Bartas’s Frost
(trailer
here),
which premieres tomorrow on MUBI.
Vysniauskas
is not very political, but he agrees to make the delivery on behalf of a
friend, more or less for what-the-heck reasons. He also seems to think it will
be a way to strengthen his strained relationship with Jauskaite. However, his
plan seems to backfire during a stopover in Poland. During a party with
Ukrainian relief workers and international journalists, they both initiate
flirtatious encounters with other guests.
Nevertheless,
they continue on their way, but the closer they get to the front, the more
rigorously they are vetted at check points. Some of the Ukrainian self-defense
volunteers see them as little more than dilletantes—and neither Bartas,
co-screenwriter Anna Cohen-Yanay, or their characters are much inclined to
argue.
It
is probably safe to say Frost cautiously
sides with Ukraine. It certainly is not pro-Russia. However, its most pointed criticism
is directed at the young Lithuanians’ gawking war zone tourism and their naïve do-gooder
attitudes. Wars are serious business, as everyone will eventually see first-hand.
Ironically,
Vanessa Paradis steals the show with her brief but significant appearance as a
photo-journalist with whom Vysniauskas chastely spends the better part of a
night. Their ships passing dialogue is conducted in halting English, but it
definitely connects on an emotional level. It is also the only time Mantas
Janciauskas comes out of his Nordic-like Baltic shell. As Vysniauskas, he is
glacially reserved. In contrast, Lyja Maknaviciute is a bit more passionate and
quite a bit more neurotic as Jauskaite.
When
Bartas finally stages scenes of warfighting, they are frightening and confusing
in the right, deliberate kind of way. Admittedly, Frost is a small, uneven film, but it has enough interesting things
going for it, particularly for MUBI subscribers. Recommended accordingly, Frost starts its 30-day MUBI rotation
tomorrow (12/20).
