05/11/2024 - Belarusian filmmaker Nikita Lavretski crafts an experimental "motion picture novel" that captures the raw, conflicted essence of modern-day Minsk

Belarusian filmmaker Nikita Lavretski's Ulysses [+see also:
interview: Nikita Lavretski
film profile], the longest entry in the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival's Opus Bonum competition, lasts a substantial 586 minutes. Taking cues from James Joyce's iconic modernist novel, Lavretski’s experimental documentary takes place in the embattled alleys and institutions of Minsk, exposing the fluid and often harsh realities of Belarusian life under authoritarian rule. He dubs his work a "motion picture novel". Known for his prolific output and low-budget productions, Lavretski blends autofiction, satire and political critique, weaving together scenes that reflect Belarusian life.

At the film’s centre is Belarusian director Ruslan Zgolich, an outspoken, hyperactive person who introduces himself as the personal filmmaker of Alexander Lukashenko. Zgolich wanders the streets of Minsk, engaging with civilians, officials, public personalities and civil servants in encounters that oscillate between the mundane, the cringe-worthy, the absurd and, at a few junctures, even the abhorrent. He interviews, provokes and occasionally enrages his interlocutors, creating scenes that are both unsettling and revealing.

The film's lo-fi, mostly monochromatic, aesthetics stem from Lavretski’s reediting of vast amounts of actual found footage shot by Zgolich, much of which was livestreamed. What at first resembles a Borat-style prank mockumentary is a quasi-diaristic chronicle, offering an extensive digital portrait of Zgolich’s life and his obsessive way of documenting it. The director embraces a character-driven story arc to render the protagonist’s unravelling. Longer, unfiltered takes of him navigating psychiatric hospitals and government offices punctuate vignettes of his interactions with strangers on the streets of Minsk, unfolding as a prolonged exploration of alienation.

Lavretski edited the found footage with non-linear jumps between scenes, merged years and reassembled memories in order to create a story, which became that of an individual caught in a socio-political quagmire. It has turned into a broader reflection on the Belarusian experience, and the city emerges as just another protagonist. Initially, Zgolich appears as a sympathetic figure, joking with passers-by across generations and referencing a rich tapestry of cinema, both old and new. Yet Lavretski’s character-driven editing soon traces a darker descent. The jovial protagonist gradually assumes the role of a provocateur, labelled as such during political protests, even disrupting social gatherings and, at one tense moment, a wake, with his antics. The film’s verité style becomes increasingly unrestrained as Zgolich records himself in less flattering circumstances, including an incident involving a potential rape charge, exposing the moral and ethical ambiguities of his activities, where “he turns women into actresses”.

Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] resembles the Joycean stream-of-consciousness storytelling with the main character travelling across Bucharest, while Lavretski's Ulysses entails a more experimental approach to blurring the line between fiction and reality. The director has openly cited the diverse cinematic inspirations behind Ulysses: his influences encompass Joseph Strick's 1967 interpretation of Ulysses, Harun Farocki and Andrei Ujică’s Videograms of a Revolution, Sergei Loznitsa’s The Trial [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and, unexpectedly, Asif Kapadia’s Amy [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. While Lavretski's Ulysses balances personal introspection with a socio-political dimension, there are moments when the personal side takes precedence, edging into a form of para-autobiography – an unvarnished (self-)portrait. Lavretski's latest work fully embraces a punk ethos, showcasing internet-age storytelling within a desktop film.

Ulysses is a totally independent production by Nikita Lavretski.