It seems some of the low ratings for this film are a mix of people who disliked it because it was too slow, along with others who disliked it because... well, because somehow they feel art is only meaningful when it's abstract or shocking. Of the latter, some reviewers also deride the film as jingoistic, reactionary and right-wing. This line of thinking likely derives from our current political climate which is so polarized that one isn't permitted to enjoy representational art without being cast as fascist. This sort of prescriptive approach (prescribing what art must be) runs completely contrary to the very core of art. Art has to be experienced, and there's no right or wrong way to experience it. Indeed everyone will process the same work of art through a unique lens created through a series of life experiences.
It's worth mentioning that the film is based on the filmmaker's apprenticeship with Lithuanian-born painter George Cherepov. Cherepov immigrated to the US in the early 1950s, which would have been at the height of the Cold War - If you talk to anyone who immigrated to the US during the Cold War, it's extremely likely that the person is going to be pro-American. Those folks by definition harbor anti-communist and pro-Western feelings, so it's not surprising that the Seroff character espouses a pro-US agenda. This isn't a choice made by the filmmaker, it's the filmmaker illustrating the reality of his experiences with Cherepov in 1974.
I gave the film 8 stars because although the characterizations are a bit stereotypical, they're not unrealistic.
It's worth mentioning that the film is based on the filmmaker's apprenticeship with Lithuanian-born painter George Cherepov. Cherepov immigrated to the US in the early 1950s, which would have been at the height of the Cold War - If you talk to anyone who immigrated to the US during the Cold War, it's extremely likely that the person is going to be pro-American. Those folks by definition harbor anti-communist and pro-Western feelings, so it's not surprising that the Seroff character espouses a pro-US agenda. This isn't a choice made by the filmmaker, it's the filmmaker illustrating the reality of his experiences with Cherepov in 1974.
I gave the film 8 stars because although the characterizations are a bit stereotypical, they're not unrealistic.