It may have nothing to do with the fantastical creations of George Lucas, but in terms of achieving blockbuster-sized thrills, Skywalkers: A Love Story succeeds on a level where so many Hollywood productions fail. Following the trials and tribulations in love and play of a Russian influencer couple who have dedicated their life to illegally scaling the world’s largest skyscrapers, its immersive cinematography places us in nail-biting heights right alongside them. Following in the footsteps of the rousing Man on Wire and Free Solo, with a bit of Mission: Impossible-like espionage thrown in, the footage is about as thrilling and vertigo-inducing as one could imagine. Like another Netflix release––last year’s The Deepest Breath, which captured the story of free divers plumbing the depths of the ocean––Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina’s new documentary attempts to elucidate the thought process behind these daredevil theatrics. Yet it...
- 1/29/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There’s a cheesiness to the title of the new documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” with that heart-on-its-sleeve subtitle baked in. Despite the images of lightsabers it may convey, this Sundance documentary premiere is not about Luke and his “Star Wars” kin, but rather two Russian daredevils who scale towering buildings to create social media content, and also happen to be in a romantic relationship.
If their portrayals in Jeff Zimbalist’s film are accurate, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov have a sweet corniness to them, thanks to all their platitudes about how their daring and illegal sport is also a metaphor for their love. The result is a film that mixes tense, thriller-like scenes of Nikolau and Kuznetsov in action with an ending that’s almost aggressively sentimental.
“Skywalkers” plays a little bit like a “Man on Wire” for the Instagram age, and it’s at its best when...
If their portrayals in Jeff Zimbalist’s film are accurate, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov have a sweet corniness to them, thanks to all their platitudes about how their daring and illegal sport is also a metaphor for their love. The result is a film that mixes tense, thriller-like scenes of Nikolau and Kuznetsov in action with an ending that’s almost aggressively sentimental.
“Skywalkers” plays a little bit like a “Man on Wire” for the Instagram age, and it’s at its best when...
- 1/25/2024
- by Esther Zuckerman
- Indiewire
Premiering at Sundance, documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, follows a Russian couple known for daredevil stunts
A new film on the death-defying illegal stunts by two high-profile “rooftoppers” has premiered at the Sundance film festival, attracting critical acclaim and comparisons to Free Solo, the Oscar-winning documentary on the climber Alex Honnold and Man on Wire, a Sundance hit 16 years ago on the urban tightrope walker Philippe Petit.
Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premiered on Thursday night at the Utah film festival, follows Russian couple, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov, who goes publicly by the name Ivan Beerkus, as they forge a romantic relationship while illegally summiting skyscrapers and filming their stunts for social media. The documentary opens in the middle of their headline-making attempt to climb Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the world’s second-tallest building and heavily guarded during the final phase of its construction – while guards were distracted...
A new film on the death-defying illegal stunts by two high-profile “rooftoppers” has premiered at the Sundance film festival, attracting critical acclaim and comparisons to Free Solo, the Oscar-winning documentary on the climber Alex Honnold and Man on Wire, a Sundance hit 16 years ago on the urban tightrope walker Philippe Petit.
Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premiered on Thursday night at the Utah film festival, follows Russian couple, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov, who goes publicly by the name Ivan Beerkus, as they forge a romantic relationship while illegally summiting skyscrapers and filming their stunts for social media. The documentary opens in the middle of their headline-making attempt to climb Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the world’s second-tallest building and heavily guarded during the final phase of its construction – while guards were distracted...
- 1/19/2024
- by Adrian Horton in Park City, Utah
- The Guardian - Film News
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