Ukraine Is Not a Brothel

Directed by Australian filmmaker, Kitty Green, Ukraine Is Not a Brothel is a daring and provocative documentary from 2013. It offers an intimate and confrontational depiction of the feminist group FEMEN, based in Ukraine, revealing their powerful, paradoxical, and frequently criticized means of protesting the worldwide commercial sexual exploitation of women, patriarchy, religion, and government corruption. At the heart of the film are the searing personal stories of three lead activists - Inna Shevchenko, Sasha Shevchenko, and Anna Hutsol.

The film opens with a unique visual - women of varying ages, scantily clad, bearing slogans and symbols painted across their bare chests, shouting and waving placards in protest. This is the signature style of the FEMEN activists that the film unveils, provoking questions about feminism, activism, and the thin line between empowerment and exploitation.

Ukraine Is Not a Brothel is not an observational documentary. It addresses loaded subjects with a non-judgmental, unflinching gaze, inviting you into the lives of these unique activists, without taking a specific moral stand. The filmmaker delves beyond the shocking headlines and viral images connected to the FEMEN protests, exploring the group’s foundations, presenting an intimate picture of the women behind the movement, their motivations, and the toll their activism takes on their personal lives.

Inna Shevchenko, Sasha Shevchenko, and Anna Hutsol are put into the spotlight. Inna, FEMEN's most prominent face, embodies the fierceness and resolve characteristic of the movement. Sasha, a younger participant, showcases the courage of the group's younger faction, while Anna, FEMEN's founder, offers insight into the conflicted soul and conflicted principles at the heart of the organization.

The film paints a clear picture of the everyday lives of the activists - their shared living space, the dynamics between them, the careful planning, and precise execution of their protests. It spotlights their courageous spirit to risk their safety, freedom, and dignity in pursuit of their unwavering belief in their cause.

Throughout the film, Kitty Green employs a verité style of filmmaking, interspersed with interviews, voiceovers, and archival footage of the group’s confrontational public protests in various international locations. This format lends depth and complexity to the narrative, highlighting the dichotomies and contradictions inherent to FEMEN's activism. The film takes you to the edge, inspiring both empathy and critique towards the activists and their methods.

While it primarily focuses on telling the story of FEMEN, Ukraine Is Not a Brothel does not shy away from addressing the darker aspects of the movement. This includes examining FEMEN's relationship with its male founder, a shadowy figure who exerts significant influence on the group, creating a tension that further complicates their feminist narrative.

As the film progresses, it becomes clear that the question of female empowerment is not so clear-cut. The FEMEN activists are fighting for the freedom of all women, yet they seem trapped in their paradoxical world, publicizing their bodies as weapons against patriarchy, while being exploited by it at the same time. It's a thought-provoking reflection on domestic patriarchy, societal expectations, media narratives, and the individual agency of women.

Presenting the contradictions, the courage, and the confusing reality of FEMEN, Ukraine is Not a Brothel is not only a documentary about a group of women fighting for their beliefs. It is an exploration of activism in a heavily controlled media landscape, a commentary on the transactional nature of modern protest movements, and a harrowing investigation into the struggle for female empowerment in a patriarchal society.

The film is challenging and will likely provoke a gamut of emotional responses. It is a lens into a world where lines between victim and victor, power, and helplessness, exploitation, and empowerment, are blurred. The documentary is unadorned, compelling, and deeply unsettling, like the protests of the FEMEN are designed to be.

By the end of the film, Ukraine Is Not a Brothel leaves you with more questions than answers, but definitely inspires thought. It points to the urgency of discourse on women's rights and positions, challenging established norms, breaking silence, and provoking necessary dialogue with its shock-and-awe style. It is indeed a powerful portrayal of the paradoxical reality of modern feminism, captured with raw honesty, and certain to leave a lasting impression on viewers.