The pre-premiere screening of the documentary film “Sister Zo” was held at the Zaporizhzhia film club “Schodany”. Usually, such events are absorbed by Kyiv, where the cinematographic forces of the entire country are concentrated. However, this time the magnet of the capital turned out to be weaker than the energy of attraction to the native land. So, for the first time, the film was shown in the homeland of the main character. And just a month later, its official premiere took place at the Molodist film festival.
The film tells the story of a woman with the rare name Zosya (Zo for short) and the typical fate of an unfulfilled commoner. She works at a car wash. He remembers his sports past and plays football from time to time. Not in front of the camera. He agrees to star in a film about himself. Quarrels with relatives. Looking for his place in this world.
Like many other ordinary Ukrainians, Zo is unlikely to be able to fundamentally change his life. She can only hope for a miracle.
“I was always interested in the fate of my cousin. This is the story of a strong man who struggles in this world. It can’t help but move,” says Alisa Kovalenko, who directed the film together with Lyubov Durakova.
The film very accurately conveys the life of the inhabitants of industrial regions. Their manner of communication and values. The tape reveals the unofficial side of Ukraine, which is practically not shown in the mass media. After all, it causes much less pleasant impressions than empathy. Both by its inner content and by the title itself, the film makes the viewer feel that the main character is a close person. And not every cinematographer succeeds in this effect.