It takes a staggering quantity of conceitedness and privilege to even momentarily think about using a phrase like “Ukraine Struggle Documentary Fatigue.” Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has resulted within the bloodiest battle on European soil since WWII, and represents the biggest menace to the post-Chilly Struggle worldwide order that we’ve seen up to now. It may very properly find yourself being considered because the genesis of an age of autocrats battling one another to broaden their territories, with doubtlessly catastrophic outcomes looming within the close to future. To not point out the tens of hundreds of Ukrainians who’ve already died within the battle, and numerous extra who’ve had their houses destroyed and their lives completely altered. The truth that courageous documentarians have been in a position to seize a lot of it’s a outstanding achievement for humanity. When one’s greatest grievance is that they’re making prestigious movie festivals really feel repetitive, it’s a delicate signal to contemplate a shift in priorities.
However the truth stays that we’ve already seen fairly a number of glorious documentaries concerning the battle in Ukraine over the previous three years. Movies like “20 Days in Mariupol” and “2000 Meters to Andriivka” took viewers onto the frontlines of the battle. “Porcelain Struggle” and “Rule of Two Partitions” shined gentle on the Ukrainian artists who refuse to permit the battle to compromise the artistic expression that makes them human. “Viktor” and “Intercepted” made unforgettable cinema by bringing distinctive views and kinds into the fold. We’ve reached the purpose the place a brand new documentary concerning the battle is nearly instinctually met with the cynical query of “What new method are you bringing to the desk?”
That line of pondering is an comprehensible consequence of learning a medium like cinema, which is broad sufficient to embody each documentaries that change the course of historical past and “Sizzling Tub Time Machine 2.” When a documentary concerning the battle in Ukraine touches on related beats as its predecessors — which Kateryna Gornostai’s highly effective new movie “Timestamp” does — it may be momentarily tempting to accuse it of falling in need of the originality we count on from new releases. Very like “Porcelain Struggle” and “Rule of Two Partitions,” “Timestamp” is an ode to the Ukrainians who proceed their peaceable vocations in instances of battle as a option to keep away from letting Russia steal the nation’s humanity. However even when these themes are beginning to really feel acquainted to international festivalgoers who’ve seen different documentarians emphatically make the identical case, every of those movies ought to be celebrated as an addition to the historic canon of video footage from a battle that shall be studied ceaselessly.
“Timestamp” showcases a yr within the life of varied Ukrainian college students and educators who proceed to attend and work at faculties throughout the nation. From instructing elementary schoolers to sing patriotic songs a couple of battle they’re too younger to totally perceive to outlining math equations on chalkboards in faculties which can be little greater than rubble, these lecturers do their highest to make sure that their college students are in a position to expertise as a lot childhood as potential. The movie exists as a reminder that kids in any a part of the world are nonetheless simply kids, and that residing via historic occasions doesn’t cease them from going via the phases of growing a persona. They’ll be formed into adults by their environment, and the individuals who attempt to hold these environment as harmless as potential should be acknowledged because the heroes they’re.
Gornostai makes use of a lightweight directorial contact, avoiding interviews and easily letting the scenes of academic life unfold earlier than her viewers’s eyes. It’s a strong method that permits the footage from varied faculties to type a fresco portray about childhood in a war-torn nation. Probably the most placing theme that emerges is the distinction between the youngsters, who typically spend their recess time operating round with the identical euphoric pleasure you’d discover on any playground in America, and the lecturers whose faces reveal the insurmountable burdens of residing via a battle.
May a movie like “Timestamp” have been extra coherent and efficient by chopping some characters, going deeper with others, and shortening its runtime? Maybe. However such narrative issues really feel irrelevant when discussing a movie to whom the arc of historical past shall be very form. Quite than examine it to the litany of different documentaries concerning the Ukrainian battle, we must always cherish Gornostai for offering the important service of capturing these moments that might by no means be recreated if we tried.
Grade: B
“Timestamp” premiered on the 2025 Berlin Worldwide Movie Competition. It’s presently searching for U.S. distribution.
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