Kateryna Gornostai – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 21, 2022: STOP-ZEMLIA

January 15, 2022January 18, 2022 Jennifer Merin Arsenii Markov, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, Kateryna Gornostai, leslie combemale, loren king, Maria Fedorchenko, motw, Movie of the Week, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Stop-Zemlia, susan wloszczyna, ukrainian films, Yana Isaienko

Named after an Eastern European version of the game of tag, the title of Kateryna Gornostai’s raw, naturalistic drama Stop-Zemlia translates to “stop the world” — a fitting phrase for a movie that’s all about the angst and emotional intensity of being a teenager. It’s set in Ukraine, but it could be the story of almost any teen equipped with a smartphone, social media, and the anxiety that comes along with living in the modern world.

Reviews

STOP-ZEMLIA – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

January 10, 2022January 15, 2022 Susan Wloszczyna Arsenii Markov, Kateryna Gornostai, Maria Fedorchenko, motw, Movie of the Week, Stop-Zemlia, ukrainian films, Yana Isaienko

When you’re in your adolescence, every step ypu take on the road to maturity is fraught with emotion and exploration, whether it involves sex, under-age drinking, the use of illegal drugs or flirting with both sexes while defining yourself as a person. In Stop-Zemlia, Ukrainian filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai, known for her documentary work, uses her tools to crack open what it’s like to be Sweet 16 and in high school in this Eastern Europe country.

Festivals Reviews

STOP-ZEMLIA (Berlinale 2021) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Arsenii Markov, berlinale 2021, Kateryna Gornostai, Maria Fedorchenko, Stop-Zemlia, ukrainian films, Yana Isaienko

The dizzying liminality of adolescence is not new terrain when it comes to coming of age movies, but with Stop-Zemlia, director Kateryna Gornostai’s debut fictional feature film turns it up to eleven in her documentary-imbued portrait of the kids of Class 11a at a seemingly generic Ukrainian high school. Stop-Zemlia is an intelligent film about a demographic who are so often approached by adult filmmakers in ways that miss all the nuance, fragility and genuine joy that this film brings to life.