Olga

Name: Olga
Genre: Drama, Sport
Released: June 24, 2022
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Aleksandr Mavrits, Alicia Onomor, Anastasiia Budiashkina, Caterina Barloggio, Jérôme Martin

2022

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Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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Olga (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Kino Lorber | Release Date: June 24, 2022 | Not Rated

Starring: Aleksandr Mavrits, Alicia Onomor, Anastasiia Budiashkina, Caterina Barloggio, Jérôme Martin, Lou Steffen, Philippe Schuler, Sabrina Rubtsova, Tanya Mikhina, Théa Brogli

Summary: Olga (Anastasia Budiashkina) is a talented teenage Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland, dreaming of Olympic gold and trying to fit in with her new team in her new home. As she prepares for the European Championships, the Ukrainian people back home in Kyiv rise up in what has become known as the Maidan Revolution, suddenly involvingOlga (Anastasia Budiashkina) is a talented teenage Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland, dreaming of Olympic gold and trying to fit in with her new team in her new home. As she prepares for the European Championships, the Ukrainian people back home in Kyiv rise up in what has become known as the Maidan Revolution, suddenly involving everyone she cares about. Olga is left a powerless, distant bystander as her mother, an investigative journalist, faces danger as she challenges the brutal Yanukovich regime.… Expand

Director: Elie Grappe

Genre(s): Drama, Sport

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 85 min

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Critic Reviews

Fionnuala Halligan

Mar 21, 2022

Budiashkina is a terrific presence, and film is in thrall to her powers. Anyone wondering about the mental crises afflicting young gymnasts – or the potential for abuse in this world - will find Olga a true revelation. Read full review

Wendy Ide

Jun 7, 2022

Shot with a documentary-style naturalism and propulsive restlessness that mirrors Olga’s ferocious drive, this is a terrific, timely feature debut. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Jun 27, 2022

Even before Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion, Olga was an incredibly strong film, but now, the Kino Lorber release should be considered essential viewing for art-house audiences. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Jun 21, 2022

An intimate and moving drama. Read full review

The Film Stage Jared Mobarak

Jul 7, 2022

This is a political film. If Olga’s pursuit of her Olympic dream is often narratively truncated, what it means to be in Switzerland while loved ones remain in Kyiv, risking their lives at the protests, isn’t. Read full review

Katie Walsh

Jun 23, 2022

While Grappe ultimately finds an ending that’s a bit pat, the power of the Ukrainian spirit comes through beautifully, underscoring the stakes of what is, and always will be, at hand for the country, now more than ever: identity, safety, and freedom. Read full review

Donald Clarke

Jun 3, 2022

Here is an interesting, beautifully acted if somewhat underpowered drama about the connections between the public and the personal in the life of a Ukrainian gymnast during the Maidan disturbances of 2014. Read full review

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Brent_Marchant

Sep 10, 2022

What’s one to do when caught between the fulfillment of personal achievement or taking a stand for a larger cause? What’s more, what’s one to do when the available choices are compounded by complications that make it difficult to decide and subsequently act? Such is the conundrum for aWhat’s one to do when caught between the fulfillment of personal achievement or taking a stand for a larger cause? What’s more, what’s one to do when the available choices are compounded by complications that make it difficult to decide and subsequently act? Such is the conundrum for a talented 15-year-old gymnast who’s the daughter of a Ukrainian mother and a Swiss father while she trains for the 2014 European Championships in Switzerland as the deadly Maidan Revolt rages in her homeland. Should she remain afar and continue with her training, or should she return to Ukraine to join the fight with her investigative journalist mother and activist best friend/former teammate? It’s a lot to consider for someone of any age, but, for a gifted adolescent, it’s an exceedingly exasperating choice, especially when she’s also forced to address the additional issues of jealous teammates, injury and deciding which country to devote her loyalty. Writer-director Elie Grappe’s debut feature walks a perilous, tension-filled tightrope in telling a taut, compelling story that successfully fuses the political thriller and sports drama genres, featuring a superb lead performance by former Ukrainian gymnast Anastasia Budiashkina. Admittedly, there are a few under-explained gaps in the narrative that detract from the flow of the story, and some of the atmospheric cinematography definitely could have been improved upon. However, when it comes to the elements that matter most, it’s easy to see how this offering captured the SACD Prize at the 2021 Cannes Critics’ Week and also earned nominations for the film festival’s Golden Camera Award and Critics’ Week Grand Prize. “Olga” may not have attracted a lot of attention in its initial theatrical release, but it should have and definitely deserves to now that it’s available for streaming. Give it a look – you won’t be disappointed.… Expand

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alanpotter17

Sep 26, 2022

Elie Grape, um cineasta com menos de 30 anos, conseguiu algo fantástico aqui: com um domínio absurdo dos seus (não) atores, filma o cotididiano de Olga, uma ginasta Ucraniana, com ares superrealistas, em vários momentos pensei se tratar de um documentário mesmo, e da relação do esporteElie Grape, um cineasta com menos de 30 anos, conseguiu algo fantástico aqui: com um domínio absurdo dos seus (não) atores, filma o cotididiano de Olga, uma ginasta Ucraniana, com ares superrealistas, em vários momentos pensei se tratar de um documentário mesmo, e da relação do esporte consegue dialogar com os regimes do leste europeu.
A mãe de Olga é uma jornalista, e o filme começa em 2013, no meio do que muitos historiadores consideram como a maior manifestação europeia da história (a favor da União Europeia e do livre comércio, no caso), e sofre um atentado no carro com sua filha, o que pode pôr em risco o futuro da ginasta. Por este motivo, Olga é levada para o país do pai dela (que morrera a esta altura), a Suíça, em cenas que marcam a força de vontade de Olga em vencer pelo esporte.
O filme, portanto, não é sobre superação individual ou qualquer coisa ligada ao individualismo e meritocracia de filmes de esporte. Ao manter contato com sua amiga ou nas videochamadas que faz com a mãe, fica clara a tensão que há na Ucrânica, transbordado por pequenas microtensões (Olga deve se naturalizar? Olga consegue se adaptar?). A dificuldade dela em fazer amigos é notória, bem como o conflito interno que há entre deixar a mãe no meio da tensão política para seguir sua carreira. A atuação contida de Anastasia Budiashkina é um prato cheio para captar o drama, com seu olhar perdido quando no meio das suas colegas de treino, ela nunca consegue fazer-se pertencer, mesmo sendo uma ginasta acima da média e que consegue altos pontos para a equipe, ela acaba se fechando em si, mas por dentro sabemos a explosão de sentimentos.
É um filme que merece ser visto pelo trabalho sensacional com os atores, por não apelar para maiores esclarecimentos fáceis e enviesados, por fazer de Olga um personagem universal, ao atravessá-la de dilemas que questionam seu futuro e a democracia dos países do leste. Com ar documental muito mais do que melodramático, este filme se tornou ainda mais relevante após os acontecimentos da guerra entre Rússia e Ucrânia, que em pleno 2022, ainda arrastam e ceifam muitas vidas inocentes. No meio disso tudo, quantos sonhos, quantos projetos e quantas histórias de vida não estão sendo contadas ou deixadas de contar?… Expand

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