Generates genuine suspense as it follows a group of American actors in the former Soviet Union during a fateful period of the Perestroika era.
50
Village VoiceJoshua Land
Village VoiceJoshua Land
Grappell implicitly uses the juxtaposition with the martyred Kurbas to gauge her commitment to her own art. Light From the East drinks freely from the triumphalist cup of the glasnost era.
Mostly the film is a testament to the egomania of the theater: despite what's going on around them, these actors can't see just how minor their modest project really is.
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Of historical interest, although a more experienced filmmaker would have made more of the sudden rush of events - and avoided the temptation to put himself or herself into nearly every frame, as Grappell does.