Afganskij izlom

Afghan Breakdown is a film that is contradictory in many ways. Many positive things can be said about it, and to be honest, the three stars I am giving it are too harsh compared to the genre average. One of its greatest strengths is the sobriety of the film, the absence of any ideology, pathos, heroism games, or most of the usual clichés that accompany films of this kind. In this respect, it surpasses most films from American productions. However, if I compare it, for example, with The Ninth Company, I liked that one much more, even though clichés are more present in it, and above all, The Ninth Company is more overtly spectacular and audience-pleasing in many ways. The Ninth Company, however, gives a more modern impression because Afghan Breakdown carries the typical flaws of the Soviet film school, i.e., long-windedness, where 140 minutes could easily be shortened to honest and functional 100 minutes and the related poor editing. It needed more brevity and greater dynamism. A significant part of the film is pushed forward through dialogues, which, in many cases, are about nothing. Despite its length, the film reveals very little about its characters and their psychology. Lyricism and thoughtfulness are typical for Soviet war works, and at some moments, only the necessary Belarusian and Ukrainian birch trees were missing for me to evoke similar scenes from World War II. And of course, there is also a typical melancholic song. What ultimately decided me on just three stars is the poor filming of the battle scenes, where experienced war veterans (because rookies, except for one exception in the film, were not present - the story takes place just before the eviction at the very end of the war) behave not only recklessly but also nonsensically. The shootout in the village has been going on for several minutes, and the weary soldiers walk without any cover right in the middle of the dusty road. Unfortunately, there are more scenes like this in the film. Michele Placido played his character Bandur decently, although several Soviet actors could easily replace him. Some of the motifs that the film develops are interesting, in that even before the outbreak of the civil war between the various Afghan clans, it describes the complexity of relationships within tribal communities and the social differences between war veterans who gained respect and power in battles with the Soviets and the original landowners who were in exile in Pakistan. Equally interesting is the motif of supporters of the Soviet occupation who found themselves in a hopeless position upon their departure and were mostly executed or saved themselves by fleeing abroad. Overall impression: 65%, which is really a shame considering the film's qualities. (02.01.2009)