Maidan. 2014. Ukraine/Netherlands. Directed by Sergey Loznitsa. 130 min.
Shot from December 2013 to February 2014 in Kiev, Maidan follows, in fascinating detail, the civil unrest in the Ukrainian capital city’s central square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square) as it unfolds. Director Loznitsa, working with a cameraman and an assistant, employs a rigorous formality, placing the camera on a tripod in various locations around the square to capture long, fixed, observational scenes of protest. Rather than following particular characters, the camera captures the movement of various actions, from peaceful to violent, benign to besieged. The soundtrack is made up of protestors’ chants, patriotic songs, poems, and speeches, part of the rich tapestry of the yearlong events. This riveting, poignant chronicle of a particular moment and movement is a timelessness tribute to civil protest. Courtesy of Cinema Guild.