In “Dovbush,” a dashing 18th-century outlaw robs from the foreign overlords and gives to the poor — and also strikes a chord among modern Ukrainians.
KYIV — A rousing action drama set in 18th-century Ukraine about a legendary Robin Hood-like figure has struck a nerve in the country and become the breakout hit of the fall, with its themes of national self-determination and the struggle against invaders.
Dovbush fought against the Polish gentry — who at the time ruled over his region of western Ukraine — and would swoop down from his lair in the Carpathian mountains with his band of “opryshky,” or outlaws. The money he took from the landowners, he then gave to the poor peasants — at least according to local legends.It is the country’s first homemade blockbuster, running two hours, with a record-breaking budget of some $5 million.
The timing of the film’s release was accidental, according to the movie’s makers — and it nearly didn’t get distributed at all. Filming ended in July 2021, while the conflict with Russia was still limited to the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The next year, with February’s full-scale invasion, the premiere set for May was postponed until the war’s eventual end.
For many viewers, the film is “cathartic,” he said. Ukrainians still “have a lot of fight left in them” in the war against Moscow. The film “shows we have a history of fighting for freedom. But we never give up.”Some of those involved in the film say that part of its appeal was that it was historical — even if some of this history is shrouded in folk tales and legend.
Twersky recently returned to the United States after spending weeks in Ukraine for the premiere and then appearing at showings. Viewers’ reactions were “very, very emotional — a lot of the comments were just superlatives and not like full, fully formed thoughts,” he said.“I’ve had people come up to me after films and tell me that this was the third or fourth time they’ve seen it — people keep going to see it over and over and over again,” he said.
The war is a backdrop at every showing, adding an extra dimension to the action taking place on the screen.
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