A fascinating documentary about a Lithuanian sailor who escaped from the USSR right from the deck of a ship
There were enough defectors in the Soviet Union, but few managed to get out of the socialist state as spectacularly as the Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka. Working as a radio operator in the fishing fleet, on November 23, 1970, he literally jumped over from his ship "Soviet Lithuania" to an American coast guard ship and asked for political refuge. At first, this leap, which would certainly become a vivid symbol of the long-awaited freedom in any Hollywood story, did not bring anything good to Kudirka. After deliberating, the Americans sent him back to the Soviet ship - the man was beaten and tortured, and then given a huge prison sentence for "treason against the motherland." And only the personal intervention of Ronald Reagan allowed the sailor to get his way and eventually emigrate to the United States. The documentary film by Giedrė Žickytė recreates this breathtaking story of escape from the totalitarian rule in detail (albeit an initially unsuccessful escape). The main speaker in the film is the 91-year-old Kudirka, who returned to his homeland, to already independent Lithuania, many years later. The charming hero vividly talks about the details of his adventure, and together with the director plays out episodes of that incredible day - the shots of these reconstructions, even despite the known ending, look like an intense thriller. "The Jump" is a quiet but convincing manifesto of personal freedom and yet another proof that human courage can break even the most inhumane system.
Original language: Lithuanian, English Subtitles: Belarusian | English