You
can’t see this film in Russia. Putin’s thugs won’t let you. They stormed the
stage to prevent its screening at Artdocfest. Ironically, they took issue with
filmmaker Beata Bubenec’s portrayal of the pro-Ukrainian Aidar militia, even
though most rational people would consider its political implications to be
decidedly mixed. It is also hard to accuse her of selective editing, since the
film consists of one single continuous take. Viewers can judge for themselves
when Bubenec’s Flight of a Bullet screens
during this year’s Film Comment Selects.
Aidar
has a reputation, fairly or not, for unjustly detaining suspected Russian
separatist supporters, which basically happens within the first ten minutes of
the film. While surveying the damage done to a bridge, a surly bystander starts
heckling Bubenec’s escort, so he places him under “arrest.” That definitely
happens, but aside from the inconvenience, nothing particularly terrible
happens to the wise-cracker. In fact, he offers Aidar unsolicited intel on the
separatists stationed in his village (whether it is legit or not, who can
say?).
Frankly,
the film should end right there. Instead, the Flight continues rather aimlessly from there. Bubenec deflects some
rather course advances from some of the Aidar members, while fixing snacks and
just generally hanging out with her subjects. It is not great cinema,
especially compared to the first half.
You
could also question Bubenec’s judgement as a documentarian, but the Russian-loyalist,
anti-Ukrainian thugs basically bail her out. Thanks to their violent attack, which
included some sort of noxious pepper spray (or worse), Flight is now an important document that has significance beyond
itself. Ironically, they also do Aidar a solid. While their extralegal
detention would be problematic, it now appears completely benign compared to
the violence exercised by the Separatist mob (reportedly Russian Liberation
Movement South East Radical Bloc, SERB, a criminal separatist group granted
sanctuary by Putin). Thanks to SERB, Aidar looks moderate and responsible.
There
is some worthy boots-on-the-ground reporting in Flight that cuts both ways (or at least it would in a more logical
world). The continuous unedited take lends confidence to the film’s veracity,
but it goes on too long. It would have been more interesting to follow-up with
the detainee and the information he volunteered to his interrogators than listening
in on the Aidar fighter arguing with his girlfriend over the phone. It is
interesting, but highly imperfect. Recommended on principle, just because Putin’s
knuckle-dragging puppets don’t want us to see it, Flight of a Bullet screens this Thursday (2/7), as part of the 2019
Film Comment Selects.