Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, July 7: DANGEROUS ACTS STARRING THE UNSTABLE ELEMENTS OF BELARUS
Madeleine Sackler’s portrait of an embattled theatre company debuted at Toronto last year. It went on to screen at IDFA, Human Rights Watch London, Planete+ Doc, Seattle, Biografilm, Sarasota, and Montclair, among others.
Using underground performance as a form of resistance, the members of the Belarus Free Theatre found their already imperiled ability to express dissent radically worsened after the election of December 2010, which saw decried President Alexander Lukashenko claiming a landslide victory amidst charges of fraud, a crackdown on opposition leaders, and violence in the streets. Fearing for their safety, the troupe was smuggled out of the country, seeking safe haven first in Manhattan then later in the UK. Sackler profiles the poignant personal costs their activism has cost several members – separating them from loved ones, forcing them to live in indefinite exile – as they witness seemingly hopeless efforts toward democracy be quashed by Lukashenko’s iron fist. Somewhat less resonant are excerpts from the troupe’s work, which addresses daily life under the repressive regime. Material ranges from the highly personal and relatable – such as when an actor quietly relates the suicide of his 10-year-old son – to far more confrontational and stylized (and off-putting) – featuring, for example, a lead actress, representing Belarus, stripping naked and painted black in an exaggerated attempt to capture the world’s attention. This, together with the awkward title, feels perhaps a bit too distancing – or insular to theatre/theatre-goers – to fully connect with more general audiences who might be curious about the performers’ politics moreso than the specificity of their art form – but their humanity does come through.
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