''Firebird'' is a 2021 romantic

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed, co-written, and co-produced by

Peeter Rebane Peeter Rebane (born 24 April 1973) is an Estonian film director, Film producer, producer and entrepreneur. Education He studied at Oxford University and graduated from Harvard University ''cum laude'' majoring in economics, psychology and visual ...

(in his feature directorial debut), based on Sergey Fetisov's memoir ''The Story of Roman''. The film stars Tom Prior (who also co-wrote and co-produced), Oleg Zagorodnii, and Diana Pozharskaya. Set in the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, it tells the true story of forbidden love between a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

. ''Firebird'' had its world premiere at the 35th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival on 17 March 2021. The film also screened at the 45th Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival on 27 June 2021, where it won an honorable mention for Best First Feature. The film had a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the United States by

Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American independent production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff. Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions ...

on 29 April 2022.

Plot

Sergey, a young

in the

, has only a few weeks remaining in his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

. He and his friends bristle under the tight control of the military commanders. He appears to have a budding romance with Luisa, the secretary to the base commander, and he indulges in a photography hobby that is barely tolerated by his superiors. He's assigned to assist a new

, Roman, when he arrives. An undeniable passion between them develops, despite the threat of imprisonment that hangs over homosexual romances under the Soviet regime. Nonetheless, they consummate their attraction to one another and are nearly found out by a

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

agent. Roman encourages Sergey to study acting in Moscow instead of returning to his family's farm when he leaves the service. A year after Sergey leaves and finds a new life in the theater, he is invited to Roman and Luisa's wedding. He attends and barely contains his disappointment in Roman and continuing love for him. Roman and Luisa have a child together, but their marriage is a sham, and he continues to yearn for Sergey. Roman leaves his wife and son ostensibly to study in Moscow. He secretly rents an apartment with Sergey and they cohabit happily and take vacations together. However, Luisa and their son come to Moscow for Christmas and Roman and Sergey's love is revealed to her. She is enraged at both Roman and Sergey by this revelation and the two men must part. Later, Roman is assigned to participate in the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

, where he is killed. After his death, Sergey visits Luisa, who is still very angry at him. He returns to his life as an actor in Moscow and is last seen watching a production of

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

's ballet, ''

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (; ) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine, who c ...

'', which Roman had introduced him to.

Cast

* Tom Prior as Sergey Serebrennikov * Oleg Zagorodnii as Roman Matvejev *

Diana Pozharskaya Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

as Luisa * Jake Thomas Henderson as Volodja *

Margus Prangel Margus Prangel (born 7 July 1974 in Tallinn) is an Estonian actor. In 2000 he graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. From 2000 until 2011, he worked at the Estonian Drama Theatre. Since 2011, he has been a freelancer actor. Besi ...

as Major Zverev *

Nicholas Woodeson Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson (born 30 November 1949) is an English film, television and theatre actor, and Drama Desk and Olivier award nominee. Early life and education Woodeson was born in Sudan and grew up in Haifa, Israel. He later moved ...

as Colonel Kuznetsov * Ester Kuntu as Masha *

Kaspar Velberg Kaspar Velberg (born 29 January 1989) is an Estonian stage, television, film and voice actor. After graduating from drama school in 2012, he began an engagement at the Tallinn City Theatre as a stage actor and made his film debut in a starring rol ...

as Pilot Selenov * Sergei Lavrentev as Drama Professor *

Rasmus Kaljujärv Rasmus Kaljujärv (born 28 March 1981) is an Estonian actor. Kaljujärv started his movie career in 2003 and has played in 10 films and television series. His father Hannes Kaljujärv Hannes Kaljujärv (born 4 January 1957 in Tartu) is an Estoni ...

as Pilot * Lauri Mäesepp as Pilot *

Karl-Andreas Kalmet Karl-Andreas Kalmet (born 8 February 1989) is an Estonian actor. Early life and education Kalmet's parents are actor and director Madis Kalmet and diplomat and former actress Gita Kalmet (née Ränk). In 2008, he graduated from British Schoo ...

as Pilot * Vladimir Nadein as Young Conscript * Markus Luik as Sergeant Janis

Production

Development

Peeter Rebane first came across the story of Firebird in 2014 when Sergei Lavrentiev, film critic and actor, gave him a copy of ''The Story of Roman'' by Sergey Fetisov. Rebane collaborated with actor and screenwriter Tom Prior, who was previously in '' The Theory of Everything'' and '' Kingsman: The Secret Service''. Rebane and Prior interviewed Fetisov before his death in 2017 to gain materials for the film's production.

Casting

Prior was first approached to play Sergey Serebrennikov before becoming involved in the writing process. Oleg Zagorodnii, a Ukrainian actor, was then cast to play the role of Roman Matvejev. Zagorodnii, who's been in a couple of Russian stage productions, was hesitant about taking on the role, citing his limited English. While in Moscow, Rebane came across Diana Pozharskaya, a Russian actress and dancer, who he believed had the right energy to play the part. "Ninety percent of a director's job is casting," said Rebane. "If you cast the right personality, with the right energy for the role you are off to a good start."

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 35th BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival on 17 March 2021, screening as part of the Hearts strand. It also screened at the 43rd

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

on 24 April 2021, the 45th Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival on 27 June 2021, the 42nd

Durban International Film Festival The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It was founded in 1979 by Teddy Sarkin and Ros Sarkin. Presented by Centre for Creative Arts at the Univ ...

on 23 July 2021,and the 39th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival on 21 August 2021. Its Asian premiere was held at the 32nd Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival on 17 September 2021. On 22 February 2022, it was announced that the director

had granted the film's distribution rights for the United States to

, with its

on 29 April 2022.

Reception

Critical reviews

Randy Myers in his review for ''

The Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...

'' gave it a 3.5 stars and said it is "a glossy and classy melodrama that soars with passion and is elevated by strong production values, heartfelt performances and a story arc that journeys to unexpected destinations". In the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'', Lewis Knight said that it "is not a revolutionary Queer romance by any means but it is a glossy love story with conviction and genuine historical tragedy." Leslie Felperin of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' gave it a 3 out of 5 star and wrote that "it's a rather sad story" but "the dialogue is often more than a little stiff and there's something weirdly off", and "the film's exploration of love, courage and the price of speaking your truth is as timely as it's ever been, and for Russians particularly". Cary Darling of ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' gave it a 3/5 stars and described that "even though this beautifully shot and generally well-acted British-Estonian co-production is based on a memoir, it feels too PBS polite, as if the edges have been rubbed away from the real story to appeal to as wide an audience as possible". Dan Callahan wrote in ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...

'', "the dominant creative force is cinematographer Mait Mäekivi, who gives the blues and reds of the uniforms and the flags on display an early-Technicolor sort of gleam". Gary Goldstein's review for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' proclaimed the "romance gets enough of an on-screen workout to feel sexy and authentic, though the characters seem to take a few too many lust-over-logic risks". Neil Minow of '' RogerEbert.com'' gave it a 3 out of 4 stars and proclaimed the film as "a swooningly romantic love story". '' IndieWire''s Jude Dry graded the film a "B−" and described that "actors Prior and Zagorodnii are both so watchable, and their chemistry so electric, that it's easy to get swept away in their romance. Historical accuracy be damned". In less favorable reviews, Ed Gonzalez gave it a 1.5 stars and wrote for ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' that the movie is suffocated by "clichés and then there are ''only'' clichés and ''Firebird'' is suffocated by them". Mark Keizer of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' graded the film a "C", praising the lead actors' chemistry and beauty but found its melodramatic screenplay does the film "no favor". Guy Lodge of '' Variety'' wrote the film is "a tragic true story underpins director Peeter Rebane's earnest queer melodrama, but hoary symbolism and hokey scripting work against its authenticity" and "crushes so hard on its admittedly rapturous boy-meets-boy romance that it barely sketches out a bigger picture". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''s Sheri Linden stated that "there's so much potential heart and heartbreak in ''Firebird''s tale of forbidden passion that the screenplay and the cautious pacing become frustrating; with every ache measured and spelled out, the film's dogged striving for poetry too often leaves it feeling disappointingly prosaic". In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Teo Bugbee said that "it lacks spontaneity in its moment-to-moment execution" and "each line and image feels predetermined".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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