The article is focused on the phenomenon of the early Ukrainian decadent cinema, in particular, in relation
to filmings of Volodymyr Vynnychenko’s dramaturgy. One of the brightest examples of ‘film decadence’
in Vynnychenko’s oevre is “The Lie” directed by Vyacheslav Vyskovs’ky in 1918, discovered recently in the
film archives. This film displays the principles of ‘ethical symbolism’, ‘dark’ expressionist aesthetics and
remains the unique masterpiece of specifically Ukranian film decadence.