Recommendations from the Kyiv Independent: "I Work at the Cemetery" by Oleksii Taranenko (Patreon)

Hello dear readers,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

I’m Alexander Query, one of the Kyiv Independent’s reporters, and as winter is settling in Ukraine with its cohort of Russian strikes and darkness, I thought it’d be the right time to share one of my favorite Ukrainian movies to watch under a cozy blanket.

Meet Sasha, the main protagonist of “I Work at the Cemetery,” an incredibly beautiful movie by Oleksii Taranenko, released in 2021.

Sasha is moody, Sasha doesn’t smile much, and Sasha works at a cemetery, as the title says.

He’s the pivotal character around which a whole gallery of characters revolve, from his corrupt boss who’s getting kicked out by a hilarious cliché of a local mob to clients who can’t decide on the size of a massive mausoleum, and even his estranged no-nonsense daughter with whom Sasha only communicates with sarcasm.

This tragicomedy's dark humor, entirely set up in a Kyivian cemetery, is filled with touching characters that delve into some theatrical, Fellini-like interactions without being caricatures of themselves.

The gallery of portraits and the straightforward aesthetic that never makes the mistake of falling into the trap of pathos make the core plot – which I won’t divulge here – even more heartbreaking with its subtle reveal.

But don’t expect a tragic movie.

It’s most of all a movie about humanity among a bunch of clumsy misfits more or less forgotten by the world, whose quest for their own place surrounded by death makes the graveyard somehow alive.

Taranenko creates a delicate balance between a late coming-of-age movie and a deep reflection on grief, loss, and acceptance of the past.

It’s also a love letter to Kyiv and Kyivians who still find enough strength to joke despite the surrounding despair, find relief in accepting the inevitable chaos of life, and laugh at the face of death.

You can find “I Work at the Cemetery” on Netflix and Takflix.