Film Review: "Mariupol. Unlost Hope" ("Маріуполь. Невтрачена надія") (2022).

From the director of Lucy. The Intern comes Mariupol. Unlost Hope (Маріуполь. Невтрачена надія). This Ukrainian documentary film directed by Maksim Litvinov. The film is a testimony about the Russian-Ukrainian war from ordinary people who spent in Mariupol the first month of the Russian invasion. The film is based on diaries of Mariupol journalist Nadia Sukhorukova, who wrote down everything she saw around her during this first month.

On 24th February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is seen as the largest military attack in Europe since World War II and as of September 2022, there have been more than two hundred thousand deaths of military personnel and civilians along with more than three million who have been displaced from their homes. The Russian invasion has been condemned internationally with many countries imposing sanctions which have resulted in economic consequences for Russia and other countries. Various countries around the world have provided Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid. Moreover, protests have erupted all around the world condemning Russia's actions with those in Russia met with mass arrests and a brutal crackdown on censorship.

Mariupol is a city located on the north coast of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine and its capture by Russia, it was the tenth largest city in Ukraine and the second largest in the Donetsk Oblast. Following its capture, the population, according to Ukrainian authorities, is estimated to be less than one hundred thousand. Not only was it a centre for trade and manufacturing, the city played a key role in the development of higher education and various businesses. Granted city right in 1778, Mariupol played a major role in the industrialisation of Ukraine with Illich Steel and Iron Works and Azovstal Iron and Steel Works providing a crucial backbone. From late February till late May 2022, Russian and Pro-Russian proxy forces largely destroyed the city for which it received the title of Hero City of Ukraine. With the surrender of the last remaining Ukrainian troops in Azovstal Steel plant, the siege ended but not without its consequences. It is reported that many of the citizens who remained were forcibly deported to Russia and Russian occupied territories, as well as ninety percent of the city having been destroyed. Some Western reports called the battle a "pyrrhic" or a symbolic victory for Russia, but the humanitarian impact being a reputational disaster for them.

The film offers something that these days is rare and precious: close-up coverage of history in the making that doesn't have "breaking news" ribbons or network logos plastered all over it. Despite its lack of context and repetitive structure, it goes behind the headlines to form a powerful and even-handed examination of grassroots activism that transcends cultural boundaries. The film is a portrait of a people, a place and a moment rather than a dissertation on its context or implications. It is raw, unflinching cinema for a troubled nation in a great and terrible moment.

Simon says Mariupol. Unlost Hope (Маріуполь. Невтрачена надія) receives: