Author: Rosalynn Try-Hane

“Every person on the planet should know what happened because everyone was affected by your decision”.

The reason you and I are alive today is down to one man, Stanislav Petrov, and the decision he took on 26 January 1983. Few knew his name but this incredible documentary mixed with historical dramatisation will change all of that.

“I am not a hero, I was just at the right place at the right time” said Stanislav Petrov when he collected his award at the UN. Mankind may beg to differ as he is every inch the hero in anyone’s definition of the word. The night of 26 January 1983, at the height of the Cold War, when the Russian computer systems picked up US missiles heading straight to Russia in quick succession Lt. Col Stanislav Petrov had minutes to decide whether or not this was for real. Should he tell his superiors of what looked like an imminent nuclear attack or keep a calm head. He saved us from apocalypse by trusting his gut, relying on human verifications and a healthy distrust of computers. Had he decided differently 200 million people would have been dead in the US and and the same amount in Russia after the first missile strike. After that it would have been complete annihilation of mankind. This is no Hollywood disaster scenario this is fact. The reason why many didn’t know his story until now is because instead of being lauded as a hero amongst men his commanding officer chastised him over not keeping a written log of events rather than recognise what he did that night. He left the army shortly afterwards and lost his beloved wife Raya to cancer. He descended into a spiral of grief, loneliness and isolation. He saved us all and the irony was he couldn’t save his wife from cancer or himself from loneliness and his demons.

This is Danish director Peter Anthony’s first feature length documentary to tell not only the story of that fateful night but also of the man Stanislav Petrov. He uses a mixed format of non fiction with dramatic narrative storytelling, the latter works beautifully to in telling the events of 26 January 1983. Stanislav never wanted to be a hero or in the army and is very resistant in telling the story that we must all hear. The storytelling is masterful. We see Stanislav change from cantankerous old man to opening himself up to the idea of redemption and forgetting the past to exist today which he says we must all do in order to make the world a better place: “We must learn to coexist like brothers, or perish like dinosaurs”.

Even heroes have heroes and when he was invited to the UN to collect his award for his contribution to the world today he had two other wishes: to meet Robert De Niro and Kevin Costner. The meetings are very funny yet moving and Stanislav is unintentionally funny although you never laugh at him but with him. His interaction with Matt Damon will have you laughing for a long time after the documentary is finished. The only chink in what is an incredible documentary is the mother arc in the story. It felt contrived and that could be down to poor editing.

The Man Who Saved The World is a humbling, inspirational and entertaining documentary that everyone should and must watch and it is more relevant today than ever before. I for one am eternally grateful for the calm head of Stanislav Petrov and ashamed I didn’t know his story until now.

In UK cinemas on 15th May – running time 105 minutes.

Citizen focuses on an ordinary citizen but this film is sublime in showcasing the banality and absurdity of being in the wrong place at the right time at major events of recent Polish history.

This is the latest from Jerzy Stuhr who is both actor and director. In Citizen we follow the hapless Jan Bratek who always seems to be in the middle of major events happening to Poland over the past 60 years. The film focuses in reverse chronological order on important moments in Polish history that in an absurd way become important moments for the protagonist: free elections, martial law, 1970, 1968 and 1956. It feels a little like Benjamin Button where it starts at the end and works back to the beginning or possible 5X2 by Francois Ozon insofar as it takes significant moments in Bratek’s life. He’s been on both sides: for the people, against the people and throughout you can’t help laugh at his misfortune.

Like a lot of Polish cinema Citizen looks back at the suffering and turbulent times of modern Polish history and whilst a lot of the subject matter is difficult: secret police, imprisonment for being enemies of the State it takes an irreverent tone which might have failed but for the mastery in the way in which Jerzy Stuhr handles the subject matter. Obviously those events are difficult but as most people know even in the most difficult and darkest of times it is the absurdity and laughter in those situations that saves a person’s sanity. Here Stuhr brings that to the forefront and one of my favourite scenes is when Bratek realises that he is literally in bed with the Secret Police. If you are looking for something that shakes your very core this film will not do that. It treats the viewer as an observer and so it’s the absurdity of it all that makes you laugh which in itself is an emotion. There are echoes of Forrest Gump but I think that comparison does it a disservice. Citizen is more nuanced than that and life is not a box of chocolates but chance encounters and wrong turns.

It will be shown at the ICA on 11 April as part of the New Polish Cinema listing in the 13th Kinoteka film festival which runs across London venues encompassing screenings, talks and performance art from 8 April until 29 May 2015. This is one of my picks for the festival that you should go, see and enjoy.

Still Alice is mesmerising yet unnerving to watch. Julianne Moore’s Oscar win for best actress is a no brainer (no pun intended) for her accomplished and poignant portrayal as Alice Howland.

Julianna Moore plays Alice Howland a linguistics professor at Colombia who is diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s and is supported by her husband played by Alex Baldwin and children played by: Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish and Kristen Stewart. At first the memory loss is just little inconsequential such as forgotten names and misplaced conversations. Once finally diagnosed the free fall into the frightening world of Alzheimer’s is revealed as a creeping fog that envelopes everything that defined who Alice was. There’s a lot of talk surrounding Kristen Stewart’s performance in this film. Whilst it shows she may have finally shaken off the Bella character from Twilight trilogy, this role is not that much of a stretch after all she is playing the youngest daughter, early 20 something. She does a fine job and she is definitely on the right trajectory but this is by no means a memorable role.

Still Alice is frightening in its’ realism and fear that what makes us unique and special are our memories. We are the sum of what we remember.

Still Alice was Written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland based on the novel by Lisa Genova. This is definitely a film to watch for the oscar winning role and the mastery of Julianne Moore although I think she was better in Map To The Stars but nevertheless it will leave you grateful for your own memories. It is still showing at selected cinemas across the UK.