Simply A Masterpiece

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Brilliant and touching

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The message Femen send is very muddy. In the end only the breasts remain. So Ukraine was a mix of many territories and ethnic groups before the concept of modern countries reached that part of the world. And the Soviets reinforced that bringing more territories, like half of Poland, and more ethnic groups into the vast Eastern Province. Moscow leaders wanted everybody to be Russian so they have sent Russian speakers down in Ukraine. Even some of the girls come from these colonist families. The Soviet Union has died. As education was scarce, the only model available for forging a new nation is the Russian model. A totalitarian regime based on an invented nationality and culture, backed by church and a strong repressive system. The people around Femen do not like that strain of totalitarian system. Yet, their whole education is built on the same basis as the leaders of the newly invented Ukraine. In the end they are fighting the system to replace it with their own vision which is the same thing only worded a bit different.I bet on the current system which has far less conflicts. Femen are nationalists, although they fight for some inclusion given that some of them come from parents identifying as Russian. Yet nothing about the others. They have all orthodox Christian values, but without the corrupt priests. They want their breasts to be free, but they think they have a say about other women's vaginas. Although not as extreme and unpleasant, they are part of the same pro-purity, anti-corruption current as Marine LePen in France or the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.Sad. But, unless you are living there, boring.Later edit, after a second viewing. This is the only of quite a few documentaries that goes in deeper into the Femen movement. Compared with the made up propaganda of the French made documentaries, this one uses more personal footage and not just the girls spitting slogans at the camera. But I have my doubts the production team has more qualities than being sincere, where the other film makers tried to just ride the wave of popularity generated by Femen. In this case the production team just got lucky. The girls were finally paid enough to feel independent from Victor and talk about him, yet too soon to have built their own mythology.Inna even admits near the end how she is going to built up in France "her" Femen, thus morphing a backward nationalistic movement into yet another group wanting to take control of other people's bodies and hopefully their checkbooks.Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

A no-holds-barred exploration of the ever fascinating minefield at the intersection of sex and politics, this documentary is a must-see for anyone who considers him- or herself a feminist. That is, anybody who thinks women deserve as much respect and consideration as men do. And anyone who doesn't, simply does not belong in this century. As a red-blooded heterosexual male, I found the role of Victor Sviatsky, the male leader of Femen, especially thought-provoking. It made me acutely aware of my own complex response to these sexy feminists. How do I reconcile the animal and the human in me? Can I be both at the same time? What is the right ratio of testosterone to estrogen, to have both desire and empathy, and is there a conflict between the two? How do I maintain eye contact when breasts are on display? Eternal questions and lifelong struggles, all of these.Meanwhile the females of Femen are truly awe-inspiring. They are brave, intelligent and beautiful. Here in the West, we have popular comedians like Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer who push the envelope and bring new awareness to feminist issues, all while making us laugh and earning a living. This would not work in Ukraine, Russia, or much of the world for that matter. Not yet, anyway. There women have to get naked or get arrested, or both, to be heard. Whether you see these women as heroes or exhibitionists, - and they could be both, - this doc deserves your attention. To say that you will never look at a naked woman the same again might be an exaggeration. We will still be animals, deep inside. But this film will certainly help you not to regard women as pieces of meat, even when they are naked and sexy, and should be a required viewing for that reason alone.As a minor criticism, the soundtrack could be more judicious. "Kalinka" and Boney M. don't help this film to be taken seriously. Best wishes, love and respect go out to the filmmaker and the formidable women of Ukraine.