The Coal Miner's Day

August 29 is proclaimed throughout former states of the defunct Soviet Union as an occasion to honor the bravery of underground coal miners. Here, a celebration in the Ukraine bookends the cinema vérité ride-along, shot over the course of a year by French filmmaker Gaël Mocaër, following workers in the sometimes dangerous Buzhanska mine. "Is he doing a holiday film?" asks one miner about the never-shown (but much discussed) Mocaër. "No, I think it's professional. Anyway, everything is privatized in their country," comes the response. In harrowing subterranean guided tours, the men strive to be on good behavior for French viewers (although they sometimes incorrectly believe that the camera is switched off). One miner pays emotional tribute to a now-deceased woman who was the mine's erstwhile doctor (he sings “Love Story" in her honor). Signs of old Soviet symbols and hardware may be a portent of pro-Russian rebelliousness in the Ukraine (although perhaps not), and the film creates a sympathetic vibe for these brave proletarians, who are proud of their dirty, sometimes absurdly primitive livelihood that draws on yesteryear's technology. Offering an intriguing glimpse of labor conditions in a far-flung area of Eastern Europe, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)