Bitter Harvest

"The low-budget aesthetic was probably unavoidable, but a subject like the Holodomor demands something more than a TV-movie aesthetic and pitched battle scenes featuring a couple dozen combatants..."

"Awkward and inauthentic."

"There ought to be no lack of firepower in telling this shameful tale. Too often, however, "Bitter Harvest" is guilty of overkill."

"There is a vital, saddening and illuminating story to be told here, and unfortunately, it doesn't always get the chance to make itself heard."

"Torn between exploring the horrors of Stalin's rule and Yuri and Natalka's relationship, the film opts for an overtly melodramatic tale of love."

"Perhaps not the best backdrop for a trite love story, nor does Mendeluk have quite the epic vision of David Lean in "Doctor Zhivago.""

"Teaching important history to younger generations via popular culture is always a worthy cause. It's just that soaking this sobering story in a soppy romance does little to advance that cause."