NR | 1h 50m | Comedy, Drama | 2019
There are some films that don’t fully settle the first time you see them. They move too quickly or speak in a register that you aren’t yet attuned to. “Give Me Liberty” is one of those films—unruly, specific, frustrating, and strangely magnetic.
Returning to it now, years later, what once felt totally scattered now feels strangely intentional. Director Kirill Mikhanovsky’s film still brims with disorder and rough edges, but there’s something visible in the chaos: a peculiar kind of momentum and a deeply personal worldview stitched into the fabric of its snowy, working-class Milwaukee streets.
Flawed, Frazzled, Full of Heart
Imagine a day that starts with a slightly late medical van driver and ends somewhere between a Slavic funeral procession and an urban demolition derby. Vic (Chris Galust), whose default setting seems to be “mild panic,” is just trying to do his job. He picks up people who need rides to their appointments. Before he knows it, his routine route turns into a four-wheeled Russian nesting doll of obligations.It starts when his grandfather and an entire choir of singing senior citizens guilt-trip him into taking them to a funeral. Dima (Maksim Stoyanov), a shady but charming ex-boxer with a leather jacket and a permanently raised eyebrow, invites himself aboard.
Meanwhile, passengers multiply faster than Vic can legally buckle them in. These include Tracy (Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer), a woman in a wheelchair who has zero patience for excuses and whose default setting seems to be “annoyed.”
The Chaos Ages Well
The final act feels like a student-thesis project set during a protest. By that point, viewers may wonder if they took a wrong turn somewhere. The film goes full art-school fever dream before sticking in a surprisingly warm landing.This abrupt pivot into abstraction muddles more than it enlightens. But what the film does get right is the mess, the mayhem, and the unmistakable humanity along the way.
What this film lacks in finesse, it makes up for in nerve. Vic’s van may as well be the film’s soul. It’s overstuffed, unpredictable, occasionally on fire, but always in motion.
The plot runs mostly on fumes. There are pit stops that include funerals, a smokey apartment with burned chicken, a hijacked paratransit route, and one unplanned accordion concert. The real engine is the rotating cast of characters who crash into each other, sometimes literally, and leave small impressions that linger longer than you'd expect.
It’s not a sleek production. The camera jitters like it’s had too much coffee. The editing is allergic to calm, and sometimes the audio seems to wander off on its own. Weirdly, that’s the charm.
The film never tries to sand down its rough edges, which is exactly why it doesn’t feel fake. Even when characters are bickering. They lift each other without consent (bad idea, Dima) or forget to cook their food all the way through. It’s all rooted in real frustrations, real affection, and the kind of offbeat community you don’t see much onscreen.
Tracy is played with fire by Lauren “Lolo” Spencer. Her presence cuts through the chaos, grounding everything with honesty and sassiness. Likewise, Maksim Stoyanov’s Dima could’ve easily been a cartoonish sidekick, but instead emerges as a weirdly lovable wildcard who brings both absurdity and soul.
Does it all work? Not exactly. But it’s hard not to admire a film this scrappy and sincere. Mikhanovsky clearly cares more about getting under the skin of real people than delivering a tidy arc. Sometimes, that mess is the message.
“Give Me Liberty” might still feel like a chaotic pile-up of subplots and side characters, but watching it again, the cacophony now rings a little truer. It’s not about resolution or polish. It’s about motion and getting from A to B without losing one’s humanity (or passengers!) along the way.
It’s flawed, yes. Overcrowded? Definitely. But this rickety ride has something most polished films don’t: a pulse. With patience and a stomach for the bumps, viewers might just find some meaning in the meandering.
