The Wild Fields (2018): A Film Discussion

The second movie of the Spring 2021 Ukrainian Film Series
Curated by Jacob Lassin, Melikian Center Postdoctoral Fellow
The Wild Fields (2018). Directed by Yaroslav Lodygin.
A screen adaptation of one of Ukraine’s most important contemporary novels.
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Come join us for a discussion of The Wild Fields, the film adaptation of Serhiy Zhadan’s novel Voroshilovhrad, which follows a man returning to his hometown in the Donbass region to help his family. His arrival home involves encounters with an eclectic array of characters and involvement in increasing complicated and, at times, absurd situations.
Herman, who is in his early 30s, is getting by working at a meaningless desk job in the big city. Out of the blue, he gets a strange call and learns that his older brother has mysteriously disappeared. Herman must go back to his hometown to protect the family’s small business and with it some old friends and a former flame. Mafia-like gangs are grabbing up businesses and land in the area where he grew up, and they are turning them into corn fields and railways that lead nowhere. Has he found a place with meaning and people who really need him? [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5890460/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl]
Catch the movie trailer here.
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Please watch the film before joining us for the discussion.
You can request the link to the film and the password by emailing melikiancenter@asu.edu.