If you need a bit of background on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia this week, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is absolutely essential and unmissable.
This Netflix documentary, an Oscar nominee in 2016, looks at the 2014 revolution that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych in the wake of his refusal to align the nation closer with the European Union. Russian-born, Los Angeles–based filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky shows us what a revolution in the 21st century looks like, with cell-phone charging stations for protesters and online journalists ensuring that if international mainstream media won’t pay much attention, the Internet certainly will.
It’s tempting to imagine that if Vladimir Putin had seen the resolve, the bravery, and the spirit to be free and independent of the Ukrainians on display here, he might have thought twice about messing with them.
globally: streaming on Netflix
This is a small taste of my weekly Weekend Watchlist email, which goes out on Fridays to my Patreon patrons and paid Substack subscribers. This is not only a tease of this week’s roundup to entice you to become a paid supporter, if you’re not already, but also just because I feel very strongly that Winter on Fire is an important film for everyone to watch right now. Please do check it out.
