On March 7 “Hutsulka Ksenya” musical was released in Ukraine. On the eve in Oscar cinema theatre in the shopping center Gulliver pre-premiere screening of film took place.
Romantic story of meeting and wedding of American Yaro and real hutsulka Ksenya in the Carpathians in late 1930s was filmed as “modern comedy in musical style.” At least it is written in movie’s credits. The storyline and its musical embodiment of Ukrainian composer Yaroslav Barnych (1896-1967), who created same name operetta in 1938, was somewhat complemented. It turned out to be stylish and modern at the same time and sometimes quite unexpectedly for Ukrainian cinema. The genre of musical is still sort of terra incognita. Although the first attempt is quite successful: Hutsul response to Broadway.
Composer Timur Polyanskiy and freak cabaret band “Dakh Daughters”, who played themselves in film, were responsible for the main musical achievements. Also in one of the episodes DakhaBrakha band participated.
The director and scriptwriter Olena Demyanenko invited young Ukrainian actors to the main roles: Varvara Lushchyk (Ksenya) and Kateryna Molchanova (Mary) and others, as well as actors from abroad: Maxym Lozynskiy (Yaro), Olivier Bonjour (professor), Ihor Tsyshkevych (Uncle Mike).
“Hutsulka Ksenya” is definitely worth watching because of its perfect spring mood. However, despite lightness and a certain naivety, it has that very important message that distinguishes good movie from the ordinary. The famous tango song “Hutsulka Ksenya” is known to almost everyone. In recent years, this song becomes new Ukrainian music brand, 80 years after its official birth. So, we have one more chance to show our culture and tell the world about our country and its history and modernity in a different way, the way, we, Ukrainians, see and feel it.
After watching the film’s creative team told reporters all the details about it.
Text and photo: Yaroslava Matvieienko
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