Directed by Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko, documentary, 98 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Vitaly Mansky
Kyiv, August 24, 2022, Ukraine’s Independence Day. We see a burnt-out tank on a deserted street. A voiceover tells us: “This is the central axis of the capital of Ukraine. This is Russian military equipment. This is not victory yet.” The voice belongs to Vitaly Mansky. The co-director, Yevhen Titarenko, provides the raw footage.
Tirarenko has been with the “Hospitallers” volunteer medical battalion since 2014 and is now on full duty, documenting, with handheld devices, the horrors being witnessed in the east. When the film shifts to the scenes of home leave with his family in the west, where questions are asked and conversations held, the frontline scenes feel almost like a distant memory. This is a must-see documentary about the reality of war.
The film was presented this year at the Berlinale.