Netflix's Ukraine documentary "Winter on Fire"

[Nightwish]

The trailer for Netflix's Ukraine documentary "Winter on Fire" is chilling.


Trailer here: http://mashable.com/2015/09/08/netflix-winter-on-fire-ukraine-trailer/#ABjbfFuGRmk0

[Miquel Westano]

The trailer for Netflix's Ukraine documentary "Winter on Fire" is chilling.


Trailer here: http://mashable.com/2015/09/08/netflix-winter-on-fire-ukraine-trailer/#ABjbfFuGRmk0

I hope it is fair and objective.  I love shows that give facts and allow the viewer to make up his/her own mind.

[Photo Guy]

Coming October 9th. I heard it will also be on the RT channel.

[mendeleyev]

Очень интересно.

[Nightwish]

So the movie is released.

Watched it tonight and I can really recommend it..

You cant have anything but admiration for the people on the street after seeing it.

[calmissile]

Watched it tonight.  Excellent documentary.  I strongly recommend it to everyone.

[Photo Guy]

I think it's a great documentary. I hope Russian citizens watch it. Is it banned?
I think the narration is a bit awkward, with the narrator constantly stating the obvious. For example, a tank smashes into a barricade, or blood pours down his face. These are things we can see. Sounds and images can be much more powerful by themselves without a voice-over. I would have also preferred to hear the real voices of people speaking with subtitles, rather than over-dubbed translations. It would've felt more real. But, I think the documentary is accurate, and captures what actually happened- a protest and rebellion by students, followed by a huge number of average Ukrainians who wanted a better future, free from Moscow's authoritarian influence, personified by Yanukovych and Putin.

[calmissile]

I hope this documentary comes out in a DVD.  I have no idea how Netflix works, as this was the first time I joined and downloaded a movie.

My wife was living in Kiev about a mile from Maiden and she and the family experienced the whole revolution.  Her comment throughout the movie was that it was very accurately portrayed.

I'm curious how many others watched it and their comments.

[calmissile]

I think it's a great documentary. I hope Russian citizens watch it. Is it banned?
I think the narration is a bit awkward, with the narrator constantly stating the obvious. For example, a tank smashes into a barricade, or blood pours down his face. These are things we can see. Sounds and images can be much more powerful by themselves without a voice-over. I would have also preferred to hear the real voices of people speaking with subtitles, rather than over-dubbed translations. It would've felt more real. But, I think the documentary is accurate, and captures what actually happened- a protest and rebellion by students, followed by a huge number of average Ukrainians who wanted a better future, free from Moscow's authoritarian influence, personified by Yanukovych and Putin.

In the setup screen you have a choice of hearing the actual voices vs. a narration of what is being said.

[Photo Guy]

Thanks. I'll take a look at that.

[TagUrIt898]

Whoever is reading this thread YOU NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!! (Netflix offers a trial subscription for free btw) I couldn't believe what took place there.  It saddens even more that I had no idea that this was going on. I'm sure there are many despicable acts taking places all over the world.  This is obviously more personal to me because my fiancé is Ukrainian. This movie sheds light on a horrible part of recent history in Ukraine.  I feel a kinship to this country and I wish there was something I could do to help.

Yes we have our problems, but we don't realize how fortunate we are to live in the United States.


Tag

[calmissile]

Thanks for the comment TAG.  Your right, for many of us with UA wives and girlfriends there is a special significance to the history of this recent revolution.  As hard as the movie tried, it did not even come close to expressing the affects it had on ordinary UA citizens.

It is a very difficult and complex problem to rectify overnight.  The pres has his work cut out for him. Generations were used to paying small bribes for everything from traffic stops to getting decent service from government offices.  What seemed to infuriate the masses was not so much the small bribes, but the corruption at the oligarch level and the high government official level.  It seems that the government is starting at the traffic cop level and working up to the politicians and oligarchs.   The public seems to be at unrest with the speed at which the upper levels of government are being cleaned up.  Nevertheless, I am optimistic that progress is being made.

The riots and killings in Kiev at Maiden were witnessed by many of us.  For me, I was there at Maiden many times before and after the riots.  During the most active attacks and killings I lived it via Skype with my family, and real time news broadcasts.  Our daughter was clutched in her mothers arms when trying to go to sleep with the explosions going on outside apartment.  Windows open, I could hear the grenades, gunfire and explosions.  It was almost like being there.  The government thugs police parked in the apartment parking lot two stories down which kept all the residents inside for several days. Cars were burned out a couple blocks away.  It made me want to be there to protect my family, but wondered what the hell you could do when you could not identify who was the enemy.

Larissa had her car vandalized and damaged during AutoMaiden when she parked at the courthouse to pick up documents for her visa to the USA.   The government thugs were destroying nearly everything in sight that might have anything to do with the opposition.  In spite of the trauma they experienced, it is nothing compared to what the patriots experienced at Maiden and in Eastern Ukraine later on.

Having been to Ukraine many times prior to meeting my wife, I developed a real love for the Ukrainian people.  Families invited me to stay with them whenever I came to visit and was always treated with utmost respect.  When you develop these kinds of relationships with the common folks you cannot help but want to support their effort to gain freedom and democracy and eliminate the corruption of the government.  My wife and her mother prepared food and delivered it to those at Maiden.  We both contributed financially to the various patriot organizations.   Larissa had school friends in the army that we sent money to directly.  That was about all we could do under the circumstances.  It still felt like it was not enough.

When you are involved emotionally, it is difficult to stand back and view it as an ordinary American that knows little to nothing about the country or it's culture.  I have friends that fit the 'underinformed' category that state that they just want a president that 'does not get us into another war.'  It would not matter if Hitler or Putin was on  our doorstep, this is their thinking.  What is scary is that these same people are allowed to vote!  What was needed was a president that supported countries that are trying to become democracies and need our assistance to overcome the obstacles of tyranny and dictatorships of their neighbors.  Obummer has failed miserably, although many congressmen and senators have attempted to bring the issues before the American public.

Is there hope?  I don't know.  We have 15 months left of Muzh's hero in Washingtion.  If a liberal or progressive wins the White House in 2016, I am ready to kiss our ass goodbye and see what is the next best country available to immigrate to!

[steveh1155]

I hope this documentary comes out in a DVD.  I have no idea how Netflix works, as this was the first time I joined and downloaded a movie.

My wife was living in Kiev about a mile from Maiden and she and the family experienced the whole revolution.  Her comment throughout the movie was that it was very accurately portrayed.

I'm curious how many others watched it and their comments.

We just watched this last night. My wife is from Kyiv and also said it was very accurate - she was very moved watching it.

[jone]

Imagine living through Maidan and then having to send your sons off to war, possibly even seeing them killed.  Then being called Nazis and idiots for having a government made up of criminals, etc.

Most of the Ukrainian population who had friends in Russia have seen those friends turn on them.   The Ukrainian population is now considered substandard in Russia.

But the Russians have cheered on the Rebels fighting for Donbas, and to this day do not believe that any Russian soldiers were involved.

I spent 8 hours on Saturday driving with a Russian guy who had St. George ribbons hanging from his mirror, along with some medals of which I could not make out the significance.  He asked me, probably four times, what I thought of Ukraine and the rebellion.    I said that I didn't like the idea of fighting and felt sorry for all of those people dying.  But his questions kept on digging deeper for my feelings.  I finally told him that I was surprised that the Western Powers had not armed Ukraine after the Russian army slaughtered so many Ukrainian soldiers. 

He didn't ask me anything after that.

[Gator]

Most of the Ukrainian population who had friends in Russia have seen those friends turn on them.   The Ukrainian population is now considered substandard in Russia.

Not every Russian feels this way.  My wife feels sympathy for the Ukrainians on both sides of the conflict.

But the Russians .... to this day do not believe that any Russian soldiers were involved.

That part is true.  Or at least was true.  We do not discuss the topic so I do not know her present opinion. 

When do Russian expats start disbelieving RT?  It is happening so slowly in my house, yet I see progress.  Today, she compared Putin and Obama.   She considers Putin very smart and Obama an idiot, but Obama's decision making is better than Putin's.  She says  Obama listens to his advisers and can not do anything extreme because of the two-party system.   In contrast, Putin is a czar and listens to no one.  He has no opposition and  does what he wants to do. 

[Boethius]

The Ukrainian population is now considered substandard in Russia.

'Twas always the case.

[Muzh]

'Twas always the case.

My wife ditto that.

[mendeleyev]

All that has been written above is true:

- Just two years ago it was common for Russians to proudly list both Russians and Ukrainians in their family tree.

- Oddly however, their own relatives and friends as exceptions, at the same time every other Ukrainian was somehow substandard. It was a direct result of Russia's conquering of Ukraine and the feeling of superiority from that perspective, and from the belief that somehow Ukrainians would never be able to govern themselves apart from guidance of the bigger brother.

- During the Soviet period, Russians were especially proud to have Ukraine and Belarus in the United Nations right there alongside Russia. It was a curious dichotomy of claiming the CCCP as being a single nation internally, yet for political purposes pretending that Ukraine and Belarus were separate nations externally.

One of the most mystifying realities at present is the reaction of the ordinary Russian on the street: Russians will deny that regular troops ever participated in the battles of Eastern Ukraine, yet understand very well that Russia "helped" the so-called rebels. At the same time, while somehow still believing that no Russian regulars are in Ukraine, they are happy that the fighting in the East has died down, as this will free up the possibility of using those non-existent troops as holy warriors in the fight to protect Russia's ally in Syria.

Unrelenting propaganda is a powerful thing.

[mendeleyev]

Footnote:

For those wondering how the Soviet Union got three seats (CCCP, Ukraine, Belarus) in the UN, the history of that decision goes back to the Yalta Conference.

Stalin argued that 16 of his republics should have permanent status in the UN, especially considering that there were only two communist nations at the time, versus the rest of the world.

Roosevelt relented, thinking that 3 was reasonable in that light, plus he used that as an incentive to convince Stalin to open an Eastern/Pacific front.

As for the UK, they ended up with 4 seats given the political alliances of that time: UK, Canada, Australia, India.

[Photo Guy]

I resolved the obnoxious narration for this film. I get Netflix through Apple TV. I found an audio option. I could not remove all narration, but was able to choose 'Ukrainian' as the audio option. Then I was able to re-watch the movie with just English subtitles and I could then hear the original audio captured by the filmmakers on the scene. Much more powerful! The English narration was bad, with moments like, 'He turns his head to the side...'  Right, we can actually see him do that. The explicit narration is actually good for those with a blindness disability. I'm now going to watch this great movie again. I urge everyone to see it, especially Russians who are fed propaganda about a 'junta' by 'fascists'.

[Muzh]

We watched it yesterday. My wife wept most of the time. I didn't find anything annoying about the film.

[Photo Guy]

Great film!
English narration was terrible,
but I was able to find a way to turn it off and just have subtitles...

[TagUrIt898]

When I watched the film it was in Russian with English subtitles.  So I can't speak of the horrible English narration you mentioned photo guy

[calmissile]

When I watched the film it was in Russian with English subtitles.  So I can't speak of the horrible English narration you mentioned photo guy

One of the setup screens selects the language and narration options.  The narration option was admittedly terrible.

[Muzh]

When I watched the film it was in Russian with English subtitles.  So I can't speak of the horrible English narration you mentioned photo guy

Same here.


I never saw the option for English translation.