![]() Across languages, across vastly different life experiences, people find ways to help each other and connect with one other. The whole film is filled with a sense of community. The film ends with him and Tracy, a wheelchair-bound African American woman whose brother has been arrested for participation in a protest, bringing his education money over to the police station for her brother’s bail. Nevertheless, Vic never stops caring about and making sacrifices for the people he meets, even strangers. But this film explicitly spells out the consequences of his actions: As a medical transport driver, there are people who rely on him and depend on him, and when he shirks his duty, even for a noble purpose, his coworkers have to carry his weight. In another film, he’d be portrayed as an idealistic underdog hero who sticks it to The Man and saves the day with his bold individualism. A boxer named Dima gets on for the ride as well. Vic risks his job right at the start of the film, making an hourslong detour for the sake of getting his elderly Russian family and extended family to their Aunt Lilya’s funeral. The film feels authentically Russian, particularly in its valuation of moral duty and compassion, even in - and especially in - times of duress. But instead of the formulaic structure of a typical action movie, Mikhanovsky paints realistic character sketches with a humanist brush. The official (and slightly misleading) synopsis you’ll find after a quick Google search implies a film of high-stakes vehicular maneuvers in the midst of a riot. But there really isn’t a central narrative the characters all struggle with eviction, or transporting a couch, or work troubles, or cultural clashes in a series of scenes that don’t have a clear connecting thread. If we had to choose a main character, it would be Vic, a medical transport driver and second-generation Russian immigrant. Unlike the tokenizing representation of most blockbuster movies, this movie primarily features marginalized populations in America: Russian immigrants, African Americans, those living with mental or physical disabilities. “Give Me Liberty” centers on ordinary people and their ordinary struggles. Like a steak marinated in pineapple juice - that fruit’s enzymes are powerful - this comedy-drama is tender. ![]() “Give Me Liberty,” directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky, was a welcome break from all that. I’ve gotten used to flashy special effects, workshopped quips and conventionally attractive casting choices. Now, I mostly turn up at the theater for the latest Marvel explosionfest just so I can understand the memes on my social media feeds. I admit that when it comes to movies, I haven’t exactly developed what some might call “taste.” When I was young and had some semblance of free time, I was a fairly avid moviegoer.
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