If you are accustomed to ridiculous toilet jokes and demonstrations of female charms in every Ukrainian comedy, the film “My Thoughts are Quiet” may seem like a real revelation, not only because of the use of biblical motifs, but also because of the quality of “Swingers” or “DZIDZIO”. Double bass “became considered unattainable.
What is the movie about?
Young freelancer Vadim is a typical millennial, dressed in stock. He lives in Kyiv, dreams of leaving the country in search of a better life, and works as a sound director, recording people for further commercial use. His employer from Canada offers Vadim to record the sounds of animals of Ukrainian fauna, which are then used in the game about Noah’s Ark. The young man agrees, but does not even suspect how his mother will react to this idea, who has more problems than his son, and no desire to bury himself alive at 40 with a tail.
Heroes “My Thoughts Are Silent”
The main characters of the film are mother and son Vadym performed by Irma Vitovska and Andriy Lidahovsky, respectively. At once it would be desirable to notice, that for Andrey Lidagovsky it was a debut in the big cinema therefore its game at some moments can seem not so ideal, as at Irma.
Irma’s mother is a typical Ukrainian woman in her 40s, who is not very lucky in life, but who loves her son and cannot tolerate any serious changes. At first it may seem that her manipulation of her son is nothing but selfishness and lack of reason. But in the course of the plot, my mother reveals herself as a really unhappy woman, she tries hard to change something, but like almost all unhappy people, she just doesn’t know what and how.
Her character wants to believe and empathize. Without makeup and hair, in a typical “market” clothes with a cigarette in hand, she looks like a living and real person. The authors tried and collected for her heroine all possible problems, ranging from financial difficulties and lack of personal life, ending with a misunderstanding in the relationship with her son, which, frankly, although it looks like a set to win an Oscar, but is valid in difficult Ukrainian realities .
In turn, the actor Andriy Lidagovsky, although he made his debut on the big screen, perfectly got used to the image of millennial Vadim, embodying a kind of modern guy-creator, who, though shy, soft and kind, but has very real plans, knows how to improve his life, and goes to the goal with all his might. Andrew’s hero is the quintessence of the image of a rebel and modern young people who abandon the standard way of life, preferring something more global. Such people have specific goals and are usually not very adapted to the realities of life outside the big cities.
Visualization as the main advantage of “My Thoughts Are Silent”
Not taking into account the incredible shots of nature and animals, we can say with confidence that the visual part of “My thoughts are quiet” is the best part of the film. First of all, almost all the incredibly funny jokes of the picture are based on the visualization. Undoubtedly, some comic situations are helped by prehistory, such as sneakers in a seat card. But most of the jokes are the skillful work of producers, cameramen and editors, which for Ukrainian cinema is an incredible breakthrough.
As an example, the moment with a motorcycle alarm clock, where setup, is a demonstration of an alarm clock and a wire that stretches goddamn far, and a punchline, a wire that leads the protagonist through the whole apartment, as well as the cellar, to in fact, an alarm clock, ending a joke that did not work in words or dialogue.
To the obvious advantages of the picture can also be added the technique of match-cut, in which one visual image is transformed into another by means of mounting gluing. Such a reception is often found in the works of Danny Boyle and the best Hollywood films, such as “Forrest Gump”, “Green Mile” or “Fight Club”. And the transformation of an authentic soundtrack into a behind-the-scenes one, an example of which is the same scene with an alarm clock.
It is nice to admit the fact that the director Antonio Lukic was not afraid to endow his product with the chips of professionals, which for the average viewer, although they look like something familiar, but for Ukrainian cinema – is almost not a common practice.
The meaning of the film “My Thoughts Are Silent”
“You’re a fool , Vadim ” – The boy is addressed by his mother. And we note this remark not only because of the word ” fool “, which is not typical for the Ukrainian language , which is a direct use of surzhik, and that’s good. But also because of Vadim’s mother’s reluctance to accept his job and chosen lifestyle. She certainly wishes her son all the best, but she can’t understand that “better” in her understanding and “better” in her son’s understanding are completely different things.
The conflict between parents and children is the key and most global theme of the film. Qualitative disclosure of the characters does not allow us to take someone’s side. We understand the motivation of both parties, sympathize and feel for both parties to the conflict. We hope that both mother and son will be fine, we look for particles of ourselves in their images, try on, think.
The hidden meaning of the film “My thoughts are quiet”
We are not going to impose allusions on Jesus Christ, tell you about biblical parables and the like, but it is through the dialogue of the three merchants at the beginning of the picture that the filmmakers hint at the presence of biblical motifs that are vague. First, it is the tooth of Christ that the merchant sells. This scene echoes the treatment of the protagonist’s tooth.
Is the image of Vadim an allusion to the savior? Probably not, but the icons in his mother’s car, including photos of Vadim, endless icons in hotels and the boy’s long hair, are visual images that lead to some interesting comparisons.
Hinting at the purchase of a tooth, the merchant offers to touch it with his finger and wait for a miracle for a week. And so it happens, but for modern heroes. Vadim receives an offer for the rest of his life – a possible move to Canada. And his mother – the understanding that her son is not going to stay with her for the rest of his life, and the motivation to build his own happiness, soberly assessing the situation.
Explanation of the limb
The desire to achieve the impossible is certainly wonderful, but not when it comes to Rakhiv mallard. Introducing this rare bird into the plot, the creators raise several painful issues at once, such as the extermination of animals to the stage of their complete extinction. Or the export of Ukrainian products, which from time to time returns to the Ukrainians, but for expensive. The last moment of the film, where the protagonist pulls out of his foreign down jacket a feather of a fussy mallard, which, logically could not be there, hints not only at invisible providence, but also demonstrates the long-awaited meeting of the hero with a duck, or at least from her part, leaving the finale open.
So.
Not so long ago, after watching the highest-grossing comedies of Ukrainian cinema, the editorial board and I decided on the formula of the ideal Ukrainian comedy, after watching which we will not vomit. First, it is the absence of any pop stars instead of actors and the presence of Ukrainian flavor (whether the carpet on the wall, various dishes on the table, sudochki on trains and much more). Demonstrating the true construction of modern Ukrainians is primarily an image of reality, which is so lacking in sterile comedies from Quarter 95, and other dubious films, where they eat lard and wear handkerchiefs – but it’s all, let’s be honest – a parody.
Secondly, this is a film about Ukrainians made by Ukrainians for Ukrainians. That is, a film that reflects the Ukrainian mentality, without being ashamed or hiding it. The lion’s share of modern Ukrainian comedies is a kind of tracing paper for Western films with Ukrainian-speaking actors (sometimes Russian-speaking). Moreover, almost every second film is a remake. Thus, the ideal Ukrainian comedy is first of all a unique story, talented actors and a unique color, by which it is possible to determine without words – which country shot this tape.
“My Thoughts Are Silent” is undoubtedly a breakthrough for Ukrainian cinema. The film is impressive and inspiring. The plot does not raise any dubious questions, the characters want to believe and empathize.
