Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Stone Cross
Stone Cross is a hidden gem of Ukrainian poetic cinema. Set in the 19th century, it follows the story of a Ukrainian peasant who leaves his ancestral home to seek a better life in Canada. Before departing, he erects a stone cross to mark the end of his life in his homeland.
Stone Cross as seen by Ukrainian critic Daria Badior:
A beautiful and painful tale of emigration caused not by hopes for a better life, but by despair. The main character, Ivan, decides to move to Canada following his two sons and their families. Their home soil, which was promising and rewarding before, turned out to be disappointing and devastating. The hard work did not bring prosperity, on the contrary, leading to the hard decision to emigrate and move away from home.
The cinematic Stone Cross is an adaptation of two stories by the prominent Ukrainian writer of the early 20th century, Vasyl Stefanyk: The Stone Cross (1900) and A Thief (1901). The film was adapted for the screen by Ivan Drach, a Ukrainian poet, writer, and political figure.
The collaboration of various talents and references to Ukrainian culture was typical of the cinema of the 1960s, a period marked by the “Khrushchev Thaw” and a relative liberalization of cultural production in the USSR, which allowed several cinematic new waves to emerge, including the Ukrainian one known as “Ukrainian poetic cinema.” While the term is somewhat debatable and vague enough to serve as an umbrella, it has been cemented in textbooks and refers to a significant body of Ukrainian Soviet films made between 1965 and 1972. Leonid Osyka’s Stone Cross is among them: beautifully shot, rich in symbolism, and depicting the harsh realities of village life, it is considered one of the cornerstones of the Ukrainian cinematic canon.
About the speakers
Daria Badior is a film critic, editor, and co-curator of Kyiv Critics’ Week. Works as a journalist for Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Kultura, but has been contributing as a freelancer to Dwutygodnyk, Osteuropa, Kino Raksti, and others. Daria is a co-founder of the Union of Ukrainian Film Critics and a member of the European Film Academy.
About Kyiv Critics’ Week:
Kyiv Critics’ Week is one of Ukraine’s most prominent film festivals, showcasing the best of world cinema to local audiences, selected and presented by professional Ukrainian film critics.
