“Three Comrades”

"Real men don't cry, their tears are caused by the wind..."

(2006), 99 min., Documentary

Directed by Masja Novikova; Editing: Srdjan Fink; Camera: Vladas Naudzius, Ramzan Mezhidov, Masha Novikova; Sound: Jillis Molenaar; Sound mix: Tom Bijnen; Produced by Tegenlicht VPRO; Novdoc films, Netherlands

Through the remarkable story of three old friends 'Three Comrades' sketches how the downfall of the Soviet Union, Chechnya's struggle for independence and protracted war have affected people's lives and have lead to many deaths. The three friends were at the same school together in Grozny, they talked about music and the future, they had no real worries.

Ruslan Chamchoyev was the first of the three comrades to die. In 1995 Ruslan was arrested for no reason by Russian soldiers in the streets and led away. His widow Aminat is now living in Ingushetia with their 12-year-old son.

Ramzan Mezhidov started a career in television. When the city was bombed for the first time, on New Year's Eve 1995, he hid in an empty house and from a window he filmed the destruction of the city, the Russian tanks rolling in. He worked as a cameraman for Grozny TV, as free-lancer for Russian and Germany-TV, up to the last day, when he was killed holding his camera, by a Russian grenade. Hundred of hours of unedited material showing a city that no longer exists and leaders who are no longer alive - these are still in the possession of his widow Liza, who lives with their two daughters in a flat in a town near Moscow.

Islam Bashirov became a doctor. He worked in hospital where they brought in many wounded people, with a lot of children among them. He treated both Russian soldiers and Chechen warriors, who were later to be called 'bandits'. Because of the later he was arrested during his stay in Moscow in 1999. When he was released from the jail, for lack of evidence, he and his family left the country. They are currently living in Holland. He has survived his best friends, who didn't even make it to their 30th birthdays. He has also survived the total destruction of his city. The only thing that is left for him are his memories, photographs and images from the past.

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Through the remarkable and highly personal story of lifelong friends, Three Comrades depicts the downfall of the Soviet Union and the devastating impact of Chechnya's struggle for independence and protracted war upon the lives of its innocent citizens. Islam, Ramzan, and Ruslan grew up in the Chechen capital of Grozny and were always together. They loved to listen to Western rock music as a protest to the Soviet regime; they talked about movies and girls and dreamed of the future.

Then in 1994, war broke out, and their lives changed forever. Ramzan became a cameraman for local TV and tirelessly documented the war. Filmmaker Masha Novikova incorporates horrifying battle footage captured by Ramzan to portray the plight of common people, who have nothing to do with politics or affairs of state but are the war's greatest victims. With Islam as her audience's reference point, Novikova relates the life story of each of the three friends. Interviews with family members today and images of joyful moments before the war become particularly powerful when juxtaposed with harrowing scenes of misery and terror.

Buoyed by a nostalgic rock 'n' roll score, Three Comrades is a strikingly crafted cinematic mosaic--a heartrending glimpse of everyday lives shattered by the upheaval of war.

— David Courier