Atlantis

Atlantis is a political howl from the soul about a decaying Europe. But its cold, violent exterior turns out to be a bleak disguise for what is an unexpectedly sweet love story at its molten core.

What exists in this visualized afterward may not look like anything, but that’s why we’re fortunate to have artists like Vasyanovych to show us what’s dazzling, strange, tragic, comic, touching and eventually optimistic about the way forward.

With an ambition that far exceeds its relatively small on-screen scale, Atlantis is a remarkable piece of filmmaking from an exciting emerging Eastern European voice.

Vasyanovych and his actors manage to make this parable both heartening and stupefying.

As cinematographer and editor in addition to writer, director and producer, Vasyanovych is very much in charge of a vision whose aesthetics are rigidly controlled. The ironically titled “Atlantis” may well alienate some viewers with its austerity, but those willing to tough it out will feel rewarded.

Atlantis isn’t an easy film to watch, and it’s not meant to be. It’s an anti-war film without solutions, but what it clear is that Vasyanovych believes in humanity rebuilding from tragedy.

The film’s use of scale to drive home the absurdity of its characters’ actions sometimes calls to mind Werner Herzog’s tragicomic existentialism, as well as early silent cinema.

"It's like digging up your history." I think 'Atlantis' has been mistakenly labeled as dystopian sci-fi, undoubtedly because of its post-apocalyptic setting. Still, the desolation it projects is enough to make you feel depressed about the future. This film is not for everyone. The static and very long wide shots may feel overused, and there's little character development. Still, there's a magnificent dreary feeling that'll follow you for some time after watching it. The horrors of war are genuinely felt on 'Atlantis.'

Though singularly artistic in its vision and earnestly noble in its intent, this Ukrainian offering about life in the near future after the end of its protracted conflict with Russia struggles to find its traction, endlessly meandering and relying on far too many pregnant pauses and excessively long, lingering shots to make the film work. This visual attempt at creating a sense of bleak yet profound insight, unfortunately, fails to successfully conceal what is essentially a thin underlying narrative about a troubled former soldier seeking to adjust to life in peacetime in a land that has been morally and environmentally decimated by the conflict. It also doesn't help that there's virtually no back story about the protagonist and little information about the war, which may leave many viewers out in the cold as to what they're watching. What's more, it's puzzling that this release has been misleadingly labeled a sci-fi tale when, in fact, it's more properly characterized as a piece of dystopian political speculation, one that metaphorically seeks to echo the fate of the fabled lost continent. In all, the picture is certainly laudable for its valiant effort at making a weighty statement, but, regrettably, its pacing and overall execution weigh it down, trying viewer patience rather than offering meaningful enlightenment.