Deň Pobědy

The Russian Victory Day Parade held on May 9 is a harsh symbol. On a day, that should be all about celebrating peace and freedom, it seems that the land of tightening laws wants to run over its minorities with tanks. On TV, people discuss burning or burying the hearts of gay people. This short documentary by Alyna Rudnitskaya steps into the living rooms of gay couples and shows them in the gentle light of their everyday life. The stories these couples tell give the film a threatening tone; the gay propaganda law, passed in 2013, has developed into absurd policies. Teachers and superiors are being fired for breaking the law, and being allowed to visit your partner in the hospital is not for granted. Within the imagery of the documentary, the couples have no other refuge but their homes. A potential threat can lurk in the window, on television, on the street or at the front door. The love conveyed by these images remains in a visual cell. "Victory Day" has become more than ironic as the nation seems to be following the will of its politicians towards the dusk of human rights. That is when the tanks show up to the square like dark clouds on the sky.
Text: Lauri Holma / Translation: Anniina Hautakoski (DocPoint)