“I needed a place that looked like the end of the world”

The film So Beautiful People was fully funded by the state within the framework of the competition program of support of Ukrainian cinema. After the premiere in Kherson The Day had an opportunity to talk to Dmytro Moiseiev. By the way, the film director comes from Kherson region, which is why he was received very warmly. His native landscapes added the color, because the events in the film for the most part take place in Arabat Spit.

Dmytro, have you fully realized your creative idea? Is the film like you wanted to see it before the beginning of the shooting?

“The lullaby one of the characters reads to his son is the closest to the idea of the film: ‘The sun set, it warmed the earth for us and went to the other side to warm the world for other people. Tomorrow morning it will come back. The earth is spinning, you are happy, I am happy.’ This is the beginning of the script which was created within two hours. The entire philosophy of the film is based on the life of the family of Liuba, Kyrylo, and their son Marian. And the main characters differ from them because they have gone through many difficult trials. Ivan in a sense is a failure writer, although it does not depend on his human qualities. He gives up on himself. And all of a sudden Marta appears in his life and he has to say to her: we can be either happy, or unhappy; it will be difficult with me, but if I see something beautiful, I will share it with you. The film is complicated in terms of dramaturgy, because there are no bad heroes. The main character is fighting not the evil, he’s fighting himself. But speaking on the whole, I realized my idea up to 95 percent. I wrote the script in 2010, and I finished the shooting by the end of 2013. I have changed over these years.”

Why did you choose Arabat Spit?

“I needed a place that would look like the end of the world, so that the eye could stick only to two houses at seashore. There are such places in Arabat Spit. At the film studio I was forced to shoot in Crimea, in a small grotto among the cliffs. They said it would more beautiful, and that my version would be pale. I said that everything would be good with the aesthetic component. Now after seeing the film people say that some of the episodes are too beautiful. But I don’t think so. Usually for a producer it is easier to make a simple work, in order to put the money to his pocket. I don’t support this way. Incidentally, the Russian forces are currently located near the shooting place.”

Whom do you recommend to see the film above all?

“These are absolutely different people. For example, mostly young people under 25 came to the screening in Zaporizhia. I thought they would not stay till the end. Cinema is very intimate art. Music, picture, the energy of the actors. You can never guess who your audience is. You simply need to make a high-quality product. Something of your own. If you like it as the author, somebody will like it for sure.”

What should make your film fashionable?

“It is the director who makes a film fashionable. There should be a closer connection with cinemas. For example, in Kherson the film will be shown for a week, every day at 15:40. However, our previous agreement referred to evening screenings. And who will come at this time? Eighty-five people came to the premiere, and next day only six. In Ivano-Frankivsk there were 30 people every day, because the time of the screenings was convenient. And they say that Ukrainian films are not successful. I’m sorry, but they should be shown at least next to the world premieres. People should be given a choice.”

Will So Beautiful People be shown abroad?

“Apart from Molodist, the film has taken part in four festivals in Italy, Poland, Armenia, and the US. This is too little. I want to organize as    many screenings in Ukraine as possible. People from Vinnytsia have called me and proposed to hold screenings not only in the oblast center, but several small towns as well. Of course, I will agree.”