Bitter Harvest (2017)

Set in 1930s Ukraine, as Stalin advances the ambitions of communists in the Kremlin, young artist Yuri battles to save his lover Natalka from the Holodomor, the death-by-starvation program that ultimately killed millions of Ukrainians.

Director:

George Mendeluk

Writers:

Richard Bachynsky Hoover (screenplay), George Mendeluk (screenplay)

Stars:

Max Irons, Samantha Barks, Terence Stamp

7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Barry Pepper	...	Yaroslav
Aneurin Barnard	...	Mykola
Terence Stamp	...	Ivan
Max Irons	...	Yuri
Samantha Barks	...	Natalka
Richard Brake	...	Medved
Tamer Hassan	...	Sergei
Kathy Kiera Clarke	...	Varvara
Tom Austen	...	Taras
Lucy Brown	...	Olena
Nicholas Aaron	...	Walter Duranty
William Beck	...	Stefan
Edward Akrout	...	Professor Temchuck
Paul Hickey	...	Lazar Kaganovich
Gary Oliver	...	Stalin

Storyline

Set between the two World Wars and based on true historical events, BITTER HARVEST conveys the untold story of the Holodomor, the genocidal famine engineered by the tyrant Joseph Stalin. The film displays a powerful tale of love, honour, rebellion and survival at a time when Ukraine was forced to adjust to the horrifying territorial ambitions of the burgeoning Soviet Union. With an exceptional cast of established and rising stars, the film epically recreates one of the most dramatic and dangerous episodes in the history of 20th Century Europe.

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Plot Keywords:

ukraine | famine | stalin | holodomor | genocide | 

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Taglines:

Soviet Union. 1933. Stalin's tyranny could destroy their country. But not their love.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Website

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

24 February 2017 (UK)

Also Known As:

Devil's Harvest

Filming Locations:

Kyiv, Ukraine

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$219,357, 26 February 2017

Gross USA:

$557,004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Devil's Harvest Production, Tell Me A Storey

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max Irons and Aneurrin Barnard played brothers Edward IV and Richard III, respectively in The White Queen (2013)

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Quotes

[Last spoken lines, repeated line]
Yuri: [Voice over] My name is Yuri Kachanyuk, the son of Yaroslav Kachanyuk and the grandson of the famous warrior Ivan Kachanyuk. Before I grew up and learned that the dragons were real and evil roamed the world. I fell in love.

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Soundtracks

Nad Dunaem
Traditional/Arranged & Performed by DakhaBrakha
Published by Copyright Control
Courtesy of DakhaBrakha

User Reviews

superficial

...is the first word about it from me, a man from East, with Ukraine roots. but, scene by scene, you discover its virtue. not so insignificant. because it is an introduction, with form of lesson, to the Holodomor. so, it represents a sketch, with decent performances, not the most inspired dialogues, so simple than it coulb seem be pathetic and fake. but, after its end, you discover it as a nice try. not convincing, too American, using classic ingredients and tricks for a storyy more complex and profound for have need of them but, maybe, a reasonable start point for discover one of most terrible crimes from XX century. sure, it is not perfect and for a viewer like me seems a sort of blasphemy. but, it is a try. or a small hommage. in fact, a first step for propose to West a story about a land and its sufference. and that saves a part from huge mistakes of film.