Bitter Harvest

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: February 24, 2017

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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AzazFeb 26, 2017

This film blew me away. I was expecting something depressing and boring. But it's opposite! This film is so beautiful, it has romance, lots of action, gorgeous scenery, and it keeps you in suspense the entire time! It explains so many thingsThis film blew me away. I was expecting something depressing and boring. But it's opposite! This film is so beautiful, it has romance, lots of action, gorgeous scenery, and it keeps you in suspense the entire time! It explains so many things in history as well. I understand there's so much more to be told, and hope it's the first one of many more future great films on the same topic. I see Oscar and Emmy and several other nominations coming. Don't miss the chance to see it while it's still showing. You will have time well spent!… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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wewlad1Feb 26, 2017

This movie glossed over a lot of things in history.
1. They make life in pre-bulshevik Russia look good when really they were all starving illiterate peasants. 2. They don't mention the bad weather earlier in the year that partially causedThis movie glossed over a lot of things in history.
1. They make life in pre-bulshevik Russia look good when really they were all starving illiterate peasants. 2. They don't mention the bad weather earlier in the year that partially caused the famine in the first place
3. Greed of the kulaks. Kulaks were peasant farmers and were the main victims of the holodomor.they never mentioned the fact that before the bulsheviks kulaks would sell grain at high prices when everyone was starving and burned grain they couldn't sell. They were basically bloodsuckers.
4. This is a historical event and they try to make it a romance.… Expand

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

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SmoothrunnerMar 1, 2017

How many movies about 2-nd World War and it's horrors we watched? How good we know the topic and thus made it popular for Movie-studios?

It is a rhetoric questions and now we have a great deal of movies in pantheon: 'Saving Privat Ryan',How many movies about 2-nd World War and it's horrors we watched? How good we know the topic and thus made it popular for Movie-studios?

It is a rhetoric questions and now we have a great deal of movies in pantheon: 'Saving Privat Ryan', 'Schindler's List', 'The Book Thief', 'El laberinto del fauno' etc. They are absolutely great and give audience real feelings of horrors of war and occupation. They recreate emotions people felt. They wake our imagination and show the true story of event's through peopl's hurts.

But what could have happened if world could not defeat Hitler's tyranny? And answer to that question is not always an anti-utopia as '1984'. We have real stories that have never been told, we have lot of terrors and crimes made to the human who could never rise their voice loud enough for world to hear.

'Bitter Harvest' is one of that movies - it has a very great deal of drawbacks: overacting, little scale of actions, poor camera work, and the main thing - actors who don't understand that deepest despair, total horror and loneliness of whole nation that has no friendly-country, only those who wanted to plunder and take something. The deepest despair is not shown at all. As example above '1984' - gives more bright emotion which was in human's mind. Ukraine story of 1920-1991 is a story of nation defeated by tyrants and silent for centuries. People fought, suffered and died - unknown and futile victims. Their stories were never told to the world. The horrors of Russian occupation was so terrible - that hundred years after they are still forbidden for World to know. There was countless millions of Ukrainians who was always ahead in struggle for freedom, but envy of historical neighbors have neither gave real support, nor even allow to tell about Ukrainian identity. This despair is in the basis of national Hymn and ideology - to survive, to live through defeat and hatred toward you. Movie lacks it - seems George Mendeluk just don't understand that deepest tragedy of millions and tries to imagine what it was like - but he fails. The main part is that despite drawbacks described above movie opens the topic for discussion and further work. It is absolutely sure it cannot be done without knowing the Ukraine, living here and knowing our live histories. This topic is of utmost importance as even now in 2017 Russian Federation does the same things they did fir centuries: they enslave. kill and LIE. Their lie is very loud and sophisticated, they 've made far more successful methods then Hitler's propaganda. And they have never been defeated as Nazis, so they turn reality upside down and even now defend all that was done centuries ago against conquered nations.

Movie lacks of authenticity, actor's work is absolutely synthetic, scale of actions is too narrow - so it cannot be rated as WorldWarII movies. But movie reopen the topic that is even more important than World War II - as crimes done in USSR in 1920's did the groundwork for all what come later. Showing this to the world is of utmost importance for history and humankind. This is the first step into unknown and George Mendeluk has courage to do that – so he deserves respect and honor. I hope that this topic will bring more masters to understand and bring world the truth that was concealed and ignored for so long.

Author: Mykhailo Sazhniev… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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jw315208Mar 7, 2017

Solid movie overall. It is bit cliche but its entertaining for the most part. Really doesn't deserve all the negative reviews from critics. I would consider it a good a one time see.

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Mauro_LanariJun 4, 2019

The director is so ridiculous as to be an outrage to the Ukrainian genocide. (Mauro Lanari)

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Andr9898May 7, 2021

the film deje interesting beautiful places even too for that time good sound and plot

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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