Bad Roads / Погані дороги
Ukraine 2020
Directed by Natalya Vorozhbit, drama, 105 min, eng subtitles, 18+
Written by Natalya Vorozhbit
With Oksana Voronina, Yuri Kulinich, Zoya Baranovskaya, Igor Koltovskyy
Four separate short stories, four situations, in which regular civilians interact, striving to live and survive in the occupied, war-torn Donbass region of Ukraine. A man claiming to be a schoolmaster is accosted by the military at a checkpoint. Two teenagers wait for their soldier boyfriends in a dilapidated town square. A militant holds a female journalist captive. A young woman apologizes to an older couple after running over their chicken. The world of these characters, revealed in a surreal panorama of incidents, has been damaged by war, and their relationships seemingly deformed beyond repair.
Adapted from a stage play, Bad Roads is a powerful, chilling directorial debut by Ukraine's leading playwright.
Awards:
Venice IFF 2020 (Verona Film Club Award)
Ukrainian Film Academy Awards (Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Discovery of the Year...)
Ukrainian Film Critics' Awards (Best Actor, Best Actress, Discovery of the Year)
Auteur Film Festival 2020 (Special Jury Prize)