Militantropos
Films about war have captured a wide spectrum of themes and emotions, spanning everything from inspirational patriotism to the brutality it leaves in its wake. In Militantropos, Ukrainian filmmakers Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith and Simon Mozgovyi explore the various ways in which the ongoing war in Ukraine has shaped the lives of the populace. It’s a hauntingly beautiful and provocative piece of cinema, tracing the experiences of those who chose to evacuate, those who stayed and those trying to find normalcy in their everyday lives.
Opening with text that explains the title as a description of the persona adopted during wartime (the word itself being a combination of “soldier” and “person”), the documentary begins with a group of civilians on their way to board a train for evacuation. There’s an otherworldly quality to the sight of a seemingly endless line of people silently ascending the stairs to the station in uniform – the grey colour palette and falling snow emphasising the bleakness of their shared situation. The film then moves to a group of workers searching through the rubble of a destroyed building before following fresh volunteers as they are trained to use weapons. Each sequence is as meticulously composed as the last – a visual approach consistent throughout the film designed to evoke the greatest possible meaning from every shot.
As this wartime collage progresses, the trio of filmmakers thoughtfully expand upon their thesis. Farmers keep working, young girls eat strawberries while playing and wounded soldiers have their injuries tended to. Each addition builds on what came before to create a detailed portrait of the many ways in which people have adapted to their new ways of life. Images of billowing smoke clouds and an incoming thunderstorm inject additional layers of atmosphere into the project. However, no moments are as affecting as those that centre around music.
Whether it’s elderly women brought to tears by the memory of an old song or the passionate voices of a choir that transfix a crowd of onlookers, music is used as a powerful symbol – not just of grief, but also of resilience and resistance, as voices unite as one.
Militantropos is nothing short of a breathtaking work of filmmaking that succinctly captures the essence of what it means to be human during war.
Andrew Murray
Militantropos does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
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