Luxembourg, Luxembourg by Ukrainian director Anton Lukić exudes simplicity and honesty, and autobiographical elements undoubtedly contribute to that impression. In this tragicomedy, as the director himself described it, we watch two twin brothers in search of their father, which will take them from their native and modest Lubnja to magnificent Luxembourg where all dreams come true. Or...?

Already in the introductory sequence about the childhood of the main characters, Kolja and Vasja, humor establishes itself as the foundation of a noble and deeply emotional story. Kolja's narration of childhood adventures resembles confessions we only hear from the closest ones, those whose childhood stories we hear and begin to understand as others cannot. Kolja's and Vasja's personalities are given in their chosen colors – red for Kolja and blue for Vasja, and they become the leitmotif of the film's visual identity with striking symbolism.

Twenty years later, Kolja and Vasja lead very different lives. Kolja is a bus driver prone to crime, while Vasja is a policeman, dedicated to his work and the family he started. Although they seem to have nothing in common, their connection never ceases to be apparent to us, whether it's a blue detail in Kolja's car or the red clothing worn by Vasja's wife. There is hardly a frame without red and blue details. Father's absence affected the brothers differently, but it will ultimately bring them back together when Kolja receives a call that their father is dying in Luxembourg. For Kolja, their father is forever a hero who left them to do great things; a man he loved but never told, and he will do everything in his power to meet him again and forgive. Finally, they will arrive in Luxembourg – but not the one he hoped for, but the one he cannot return from.

On the other hand, the relationship that develops between Kolja and Larisa Petrovna, the woman who, due to Kolja's negligence, ends up with broken arms, could have been that Luxembourg – an unexpected friendship that would heal her loneliness and give him a chance to turn his life around and fill the void left by his father. However, her role does not go beyond episodic, and the focus remains on the brothers.

Amil and Ramil Nasirov, otherwise known Ukrainian hip-hop duo, naturally convey the brotherly relationship through humorous and emotional scenes. The brothers' farewell in a Luxembourgish restaurant is devoid of words but full of feelings of love, understanding, pain, and sadness – but also humor with the dramatic rendition of the song "O sole mio" by the waiter in the background. Vasja's encounter with his father at the gas station is even quieter and less eloquent, yet it is the most prominent acting scene of the entire film: the father washes the car window with slow movements, unaware that his son is inside, looking at him with eyes full of questions he knows he doesn't want to hear answers to. The aforementioned colors enrich each scene with additional meanings, including this one. When we see the father in the film's prologue, he wears a purple suit. There is still a mixture of red and blue because he has not yet abandoned his sons. When Vasja sees his father at the gas station, he wears red, Kolja's color. Vasja and his father have never been closer, yet more distant.

The musicality of the shots is almost synesthetic, and the music gives the film another special touch. The selection of songs may seem too diverse, but in that sense, it's a true playlist of life, full of ups and downs. There is both red and blue, and in all of that, there is also purple. The contrast between Kolja and Vasja is perhaps so emphasized that we would fully

understand by the end that the path they are on is the same, although the directions are different. Perhaps somewhere on that path, red and blue are lost, and everything becomes purple. Perhaps one cannot be without the other. Because life is rarely just one thing or another. Rarely are we just one thing or another.