GIVE ME LIBERTY a Gem with an Independent Lens

"Give Me Liberty" is an independent, art film that slides frenetically & unexpectedly into a deeply penetrating and quixotic magical mystery tour.  Dir., screenwriter & producer Kirill Mikhanovsky's cinematic feature film feels raw, real and Felliniesque.  Kirill draws from his own life as a US immigrant from Russia at 18 who finds work driving a van for the handicapped.  Vic (a wistful & endearing Chris Galust) is the central driving force of this unusual cast of individuals rarely featured on screen.  The motley mix of ethnographic & debilitated individuals offers a piercing look into humanity from a kaleidoscope of colors, cultures and abilities and meshes into a pastiche of stark reality and peculiar sequences.  Music is crucial to the fluidity of the film encompassing a panoply of ethnic, religious, classical & contemporary modes. Vic's transports people with physical & mental limitations to their destinations of work, rehabilitation & recreation.  He's prevailed upon to take a group of elderly Russians to their friend's funeral while enroute on the job.  The elderly Russian immigrants admire American's allotted freedoms and reminisce how in the old country Russians, Ukraines, Jews all managed to get along.  They also tell Vic to hurry out of the bad {black} neighborhoods.  Vic manuvers his van at warp speed, negotiating obstacles & areas blocked off by protests.  Vic's unflappable, frenzied driving leaves him constantly late tho he assures his boss & riders they'll get there in just 10 more minutes. This remarkable journey is bookended by Vic's visits with Nate (Ben Derfel) an elderly quadriplegic who spouts philosophical lessons in an unhurried fashion. Vic dotingly listens while taking Nate's fag in & out of his lips.  Nate's elegiac messaging speaks to the beauty of life, the wonders of love and the necessity of holding fast to love. Compressed between these tranquil respites is a whirlwind of ruckus, protests, and earnest emotions bringing people together in melodious harmony and incorrigible encounters.   Dima (Maxim Stolanov) is a Russian, pugilist grifter whose shenanigans pack a major punch.  Tracy (Lauren Spencer) plays a wheel chair bound social worker for the disabled.  Her earnest frustrations & heartbreak feel crippling.  These are only 2 of the many eccentric people Vic encounters in the 24 endlessly compelling hours while anxiously awaiting the fat lady to sing.  Wyatt Garfield's stunning cinematography and overall authenticity make GIVE ME LIBERTY an art film which should be given numerous honors in addition to the Independent Spirit Award.  Keep your eyes out for future features by Mikhanovsky and roles played by Chris Galust (a Leo DiCaprio doppelgänger) and a luminescent & unforgettable Lauren Spencer.