Review: Revolutions on Granite: Ukrainian Skate Documentary
Title: Revolutions on Granite
Directed by: Brendan Gilliam and Peter Conopask
Produced by: Thrasher Magazine
Director of Photography: Todd DosSantos
Released: 2022
Revolutions on Granite is a 2022 documentary about Ukrainian skateboarding. Directed by Brendan Gilliam and Peter Conopask, the film tells the story of Ukrainian skateboarding from its infancy into the present centered in Kyiv’s Maidan. The film begins by acknowledging the significance of the Maidan as Independence Square, the name given to it because of the 1990 Revolution on Granite that earned Ukraine its independence and took place on the square’s granite. However, the rest of the film tells the story of a very different revolution, a cultural revolution of skating that rose with the fall of the Soviet Union.
The film holds two contrasting tones that it often bounces in between. The first tone, the one it opens with, is the solemn tone of Ukraine’s history and political events. Personal testimonies throughout the film depict the struggles of everyday life in the USSR that the subjects lived in before the events of the documentary. The second tone is one of joy and hope that comes through as the documentary tells the story of the emerging skating community. These stories are told through a combination of found footage, voiceover testimony, and current filming done by the documentary crew of the Maidan, its inhabitants, and the skaters.
Revolutions on Granite provides its audience with a unique glimpse into the lives of young people in the Ukrainian 90s. The isolation of Soviet times is emphasized throughout the film, as well as the joy that came with breaking out of that isolation and joining the rest of the world. In this way, the film provides a current political commentary on why it is important that Ukraine be incorporated into broader Europe and the international community for cultural exchange.
As the title would suggest, Revolutions on Granite informs the audience about multiple of Ukraine’s great changes. Opening with the Revolution on Granite and closing with the Revolution of Dignity, the political revolutions deserved importance in the film. However, the majority of the content portrays the cultural revolution that happened in Post Soviet Ukraine of free thinking, self expression, and joy in the way that it relates to skating. Voiceover testimony explains how these two different types of revolutions affected the other, however the film struggles to draw clear connections as it switches between the two subjects. Viewers of the film without a strong background of Ukrainian history will likely be confused as to what year is being talked about and what exact significant events are happening. The lack of clarity is exacerbated by the fact that nearly all interviewees are unnamed and their roles or authority are unspecified. Particularly, there is one interviewee who provides the majority of the historical context, but it is unclear whether she is speaking in personal testimony or as a historian. These missing details are intentional on the part of the film crew to protect their interviewees in light of the recent Russian invasions.
Audiences will best understand this film if they already have an understanding of Ukrainian history and its major events, specifically the Revolution on Granite, the Orange Revolution, and the Revolution of Dignity. The film focuses on the experiences of people instead of the political narrative, so one needs to already have knowledge of what happened to understand the testimonies being given. Those without background knowledge should probably save this film for a later date when they have learned more. Those who have already learned about Ukraine’s history will add a lot of nuance to their perspective on Ukrainian people by watching this film and be able to enjoy it to its fullest.
The film does a good job at capturing the emotions of the skaters and the significance of the Maidan as they move through time. The documentary crew interviewed many of the central figures of the early Ukrainian skating scene to give the audience a complete view of what was going on at the time. Throughout the film a profound nostalgia and love for skating shines through. As they move into the darker times of the Revolution of Dignity, the film clearly portrays the great emotional shift that happened for the community in regards to the Maidan. While its depiction of politics may have lacked clarity, it is undeniable that Revolutions on Granite portrays the Ukrainian skate scene in a wonderfully intimate way.
Finally, the film itself acknowledges that Russia’s invasion between its creation and release gives it a new political significance. In many ways, it is a story of what is taken by Russia and how the Ukrainian people take it back. Revolutions on Granite provides a lovely snapshot into the Ukrainian youth, their resistance, and their joy that serves as an inspiration as the Ukraine continues to fight against invasion.
Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfEcckWtB8