Set in a fictional post-war Ukraine, Atlantis is a dystopian parable of our near future | Film of the Week
Welcome to Film of the Week, a new series where we spotlight the best films from Eastern Europe and Central Asia available to watch online. We’ll be selecting a film each week from the thousands at hand on streaming platforms, from new releases to arthouse classics.
7 May 2021
Text:
Lucía de la Torre
Our inaugural film of the week is Atlantis by Valentyn Vasyanovych. While the title may honour the Ancient Greek myth of an ideal state, on screen, Atlantis itself offers no peaceful utopia. Set in a fictional post-war Ukraine, the film tells the story of Sergiy, a veteran who joins a team of volunteer grave diggers in a bid to soothe his own PTSD. The desolate landscape where he works soon becomes more than just a backdrop, as the film unravels both the personal and environmental consequences of war. The film premiered in 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, won best film in the Horizons section at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, and was selected as the Ukrainian submissions to the 2021 Academy Awards. Atlantis is a speculative parable of our near future — wrought by war, ecological, and economic destruction — and an urgent and horrifyingly beautiful watch.
You can watch Atlantis online on MUBI.
