On a particularly rainy (as in DELUGE) Saturday, a friend who used to live in NYC and I met for an early meal at John’s on 12th Street and then ran through the floods to the movie theater across the street to see the father:son documentary “Veselka: the Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.” Both my friend and I spent our formative years (20’s and beyond) living below 14th Street in NYC. Some of that time was spent eating pierogis at #Veselka. The film is both a microcosm of three generations of men running the shop become restaurant on the corner of 9th street and of the neighborhood itself. There is a depth of history (immigrant & East Village-NYC), connection with the invasion of Ukraine, and a glaring lack of focus on women in the film. Here is a description of the film: “For 70 years, Veselka has been best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff.” My response to the documentary was visceral - this is a place I once frequented but have avoided over the past decade due to crowding (and a lack of vegan options). But the film is fascinating for a number of reasons: the images of the neighborhood from the 1900s through the present day - including footage of the once-promised 2nd Avenue Subway, the wild 1970s when Veselka shifted to 24:7, and a reminder that the neighborhood itself has changed along with the restaurant. There is also the family aspect - Veselka has been run by three generations of the same family and they treat their workers (or so the film claims) like members of that family. But again, this is largely a film about the relationship between Tom (the father) and Jason (the son) and how the work they’ve done for the Ukrainian people has brought them closer together. There are some deeply moving moments where we learn about the employees’ struggles to keep in contact with family in Ukraine and the desire for some of them to go back and fight. There’s a compelling arc focused on one employee whose parents and grandmother are in Ukraine and the work they do w/Veselka’s help to bring his mother over. I’m still working my way through just how I feel about this film - and that, as the director told us at the post-screening Q&A, the Queen of Borscht was cut from the film. (Why?!) There are women in the film but they’re largely silent or speaking only Ukrainian while making pierogies. Again, I’m still working my way through my response to this film - is it okay to have a documentary about a cornerstone NYC restaurant that only focuses on the men involved? If the film is really about the relationship between fathers and sons then, I’m going to state a hesitant “yes?” During the post-screening Q&A one of the audience members stated that she’s from Ukraine and that the film means a great deal to the people she knows in Ukraine. She was shocked and moved to see that New Yorkers care about what’s happening in her country. Of course we do - these people are our neighbors and Veselka represents so much of what’s good in the neighborhood. Although the film has its flaws, overall it’s a well-crafted window into the lives of the men of Veselka and a great slice of New York life. #Veselka #SlavaUkraini #QueenofBorscht
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