Writing
There is a rumor in the Kyiv musical community: once upon a time, in private conversation, Queen Elizabeth II mentioned Valentyn Silvestrov as one of her favorite composers of the modern age. The Royal Press Office hasn’t confirmed it, so no one knows for sure. But the stature of Silvestrov justifies this rumor. Highly respected by the world’s best music professionals, he remains a mystery for a wide audience. The documentary is far from a traditional biopic about a prominent person. It is an observation, a confession and, most of all, a story of great talent set against the backdrop of uncertain times.
Ivan Dziuba - literary critic, public figure, academician of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine - belongs to the "sixties". He fully takes care of all the miscalculations and unfulfilled promises of his generation. Reflects on why the illusions were lost and why so few dreams came true ... Let's see and listen to him with his wife Martha, a Lviv woman who was his guardian angel. Together - all life. Exactly as they are, the right is the definition - the conscience of the nation.
A movie shot in almost one single take. The parable should not be interpreted in words.
The subjective-personal context is perceived as an objective document of the era, a true testimony of the time when it was created and experienced. The author reflects on events of different historical scale, but equally significant for a person. The film is built on the principle of montage of free associations: from memories of the grandmother and reflections on "the time of our grandmothers" to the image of Vira Kholodnaya as the embodiment of femininity, and then - at a sharp turn - to the problems of inter-ethnic conflicts.
