Watching: Songs of the Years of Fire

Overview

An abstract color celebration of Soviet perseverance under fire (the literal firepower of foreign and capitalist warmongers), this lyrical animated short aims to capture Mother Russia's essence like lightning in a bottle. There's a spaghetti western vibe at times to the striking silhouette imagery here. Florid patriotic folk songs on the soundtrack are often depicted line-for-line in the gorgeous animation. - Dennis Harvey