Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: OSTROV - LOST ISLAND [Camden International Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

Intention of life but also proliferation of media in places not central to a cause sometimes are left behind. In modern day America, this can be seen on the plains and more distinct rural areas where disillusionment with many proceeded following a different path than one might not have if things were better. "Ostrov: Lost Island" follows a Russian family and their surrounding neighborhood on an island on the Caspian Sea both choking and frozen in time and yet joyful and despairing. Ivan, the patriarch, is a fisherman who is still very much a patriot. He wants to fish but the coast guard runs him away and there is no political structure to get a license or improve conditions. "Lost Island" is very unique in that it shows both belief and hope in the frame of things getting better. Ivan and his family have no electricity but their lives seem rich. The desolateness of the island is masked back and forth by moments of clarity of what the people have fought for. There is an interesting longing with some there for a return to the Soviet Union when all were equal. They even celebrate their son who goes into the Army because that is the only thing the state will pay for. The parallel of this is that the older citizens including Ivan all believe that President Putin is going to do the best for them.

Many of the footage seen with Putin doing town halls on TV, wishing a Happy New Year but also being present at a parade give forth a feeling of stability in its presentation which is an irony but in speaking to the Russian people it is an interesting two-sided coin. Ivan believes his island can be saved but since the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union came down in 1990 they have had no help per se in getting back on their feet. However he does make an specific opinion that it is better that Putin brought some stability and strength to the state whereas underneath someone different it might be worse. And yet his wife cries with despair or drinks herself still because of the lack of hope. That said, there is joy in the family like during the mother's birthday party or making a farewell feast for her son. The directors, like flies on a wall, capture all these conflicting emotions that don't feel forced but instead just inherently reflect a state of life. Even watching the celebration of Victory Day (when the Soviets marched on Germany in World War II) as well as the teaching of history in the schools, is eye opening because everything is about perspective and geography. "Ostrov" is a fascinating and insular documentary piece brimming with complicated individuals and still life. As packs of locusts scurry across the desert ground of the island and around Ivan's motorcycle, he looks on saying that it is nature and "they eat everything" The filmmakers were able to give perspective on a nation through an island family willing to be themselves and bare their souls while showing both the strife, pride and intermittent joy in their life. A-

By Tim Wassberg