ANTON

While the friendship between the Jewish Yakiv and the German Catholic Anton is sweet and endearing, not only does it not become central to the plot, but it barely maintains the heart that Urushadze clearly wants to focus his film around. Revenge plots, gun smuggling and rebel parties are what dominate the run time of this film, and although they are interesting stories in of them, they are let down by the lack of focus throughout the film. This is an extremely interesting historical period in Ukraine, but you get the sense that Urushadze is held back by wanting to keep this film a bit more lighthearted. I wouldn't go as far to say it is family-friendly, but it is tonally confused. Sometimes it is comfortable being an overly dramatised story that would not be out of place had it been released in the 90s, and other times it wants to be a gritty political commentary. Neither are uninteresting, but both don't go together.

Perhaps I am being unfair. Perhaps the tonal shifts are a reflection of a small community that are war-torn and desperate for salvation, all seen through the eyes of a child. And I would concede that it might work, were it not for the shallow and undeveloped characters. The boys themselves are given nothing to work with, and for supposedly pivotal characters who are central to the themes of the film, they might not have more than 4 pages of dialogue between them. The adults that dictate their everyday, notably Yakiv's father Josef (Vladimir Levitskiy) and Anton's mother Christina (Natalia Ryumina, 'Their Finest'), are fine in terms of bringing the much-needed drama to the fold, but they are not much more than fine - which is emblematic of the film in general.

Father Fridrikh (Sebastyan Anton) is the town priest, who by far has the most interesting storyline. Unfortunately, it proves to be more of a puzzle with few answers. He is the one who leads the rebellions and has the personal vendetta against Trotsky, but unless I missed it, audiences will never know why. It means that there is no "hero's journey" or attractive arc to his character, leaving audiences simply unable to invest.

Aesthetically speaking, 'Anton' is actually a very beautiful film. Shot on location in Ukraine and using old buildings in the surround, Urushadze clearly knows what he is doing when it comes to pretty pictures. The sets and costumes look authentic for a period piece, creating a natural feel to the film that should be applauded, which all work in tandem with the bright sunshine he manages captures on film. The camera follows the characters with a peering eye and some interesting points of view, which try to aide the desired melancholic atmosphere of the film.

This is not a boring film by any stretch - rather, it's just confused by what it wants to say and who its target audience should be. It's harmless and sweet in a way that should encourage children to watch it, but simultaneously lacks the heart and focus to make it more memorable. I found myself clock-watching at times through its two-hour runtime, but ultimately, 'Anton' is inoffensive and just fine.