The Cinematheque

Ukraine

“Lukich’s charming and melancholic sophomore film [is] is a warm-hearted journey dedicated to parents—with their secrets and lies—and to their beloved songs that only make sense when we’re older.”

Dorota Lech, TIFF

The EUFF continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. For this year’s fundraiser screening, we are proud to present Antonio Lukich’s delightfully droll comedy Luxembourg, Luxembourg. When twin brothers Kolya and Vasya learn that their long-absent father is gravely ill and living in Luxembourg, they set out on a pan-European journey from Ukraine to visit with him one last time. Having left them when they were children, the father is regarded differently by the siblings: Kolya considers him to be something of a romantic hero figure, while Vasya thinks he’s nothing but a deadbeat dad. Their journey is one thing; the reunion, quite another. ​“In the sincerity of its sentimentality and its humane, universal observations … the movie not only earns us the right to laugh during a period of suffering and conflict, it makes sharing in the warmth of its sweet-natured humor seem like a vital, revivifying act of resistance” (Jessica Kiang, Variety).

In Ukrainian and German with English subtitles

“Dynamic, vibrant … Although his premise screams melodrama, Lukich is smart enough to go against the grain and find bleakly humorous ways to deny the brothers closure at almost every turn.”

Josh Lewis, Cinema Scope