Film Review: Bitter Harvest Is Kismet In Its Release
It is odd to have a film released about Russia’s starvation of 10 million Ukrainians in a time when sympathy for its current leader, Vladimir Putin, and his own cruelties towards Ukraine, is rising within the United States. This event was known as the The Holodomor and is the violent epicenter to the blossoming love between Yuri (Max Irons) and his beloved Natalka (Samantha Barks) in the film Bitter Harvest. This romantic tragedy’s release feels almost like kismet in reminding viewers how unforgiving history can be to the lives that were lost because of its forgetfulness.
I must warn that Bitter Harvest is bitter in its emotional effects. This is not a film for those that want a happy ending, but, again, history does not offer that to many, especially the victims of Stalin’s starvation program meant subjugate the Ukrainians that, at the time, were prospering in grain production and seeking their country’s independence. By taking their grains and food, soon their dreams and resilience for independence were lost. Viewers witness this through the loss of freshness and vibrancy between Natalka and Yuri’s youthful love, whose story is paced and pasted throughout the film’s harsh look into The Holodomor. When the film begins, they are a pair of teens eager to solidify their marriage before God. Religion and superstition plays a constant role in the film as its both the strength of the Ukrainians and the nuisance to Stalin. The film does well to incorporate mystical/ religious symbols that foreshadow the darkness to ensue, especially in terms of Yuri and Natalka’s love affair. Yet, the film finds light in showing how much love and faith helps you fight back in what can be a losing battle.
It is devastating to see the loss of these human beings’ physical strength in contrast to the gain of their spiritual. The cast of Max Irons, Samantha Barks, Terrence Stamp (Ivan), and Barry Pepper (Yaroslav) do well to show kind human beings with “fight” in them. They give their characters a perseverance that makes the audience cheer for them despite our knowledge that they are star-crossed. Again, its pretty clear, in the beginning, that Bitter Harvest is not a film about how rewarded your struggles and sufferings can be if you hold strong. Director George Mendeluk co-wrote the screenplay with Richard Bachynsky-Hoover based on Bachynsky-Hoover’s original story, which, again, is a story not attempting to “fluff” the darkness of history. In truth, I admire Mendeluk and Hoover’s unrelenting strike for the sadness that is love in the times of war and inhumanity. You will fall for Yuri and Natalka which is why your heart will break. For More Information on Bitter Harvest, which will be released on February 24, Click Here.
