Unnamed Film (2008) dir. Naomi Uman

Another kind of utopia is presented in the films of Naomi Uman, whose search for her family roots in the Ukraine led her to move to the small village of Legedzine. In Unnamed Film, she shoots the old bubushka ladies as they expertly prepare pickles, pick vegetables, and sing odes to vodka. Shot on 16mm with nonsync sound, it has an intimate, handmade quality, only heightened by the use of explanatory intertitles in place of subtitles. Umans Ukrainain was weak, so she wanted the viewer to have the same experience as she did, just getting the gist of things. As with Uruphongs work, there is a nostalgia for the old ways, which were selfsufficient but took an incredible toll on the body. The bubushkas complain about their aching backs and the neverending poverty, spiking any drift towards romanticization.