Recommendations from the Kyiv Independent: “Donbass” (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent members, 

This is Nate Ostiller, a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, here with the next recommendation for you. I highly suggest watching the award-winning 2018 film “Donbass,” which I think is one of the best depictions of the murky and cynical first stage of Russia’s war against Ukraine that began in 2014. 

“Donbass” (the Ukrainian spelling of the word is “Donbas”) is a pitch-black dramedy of sorts by Ukrainian-Belarusian director Sergei Loznitsa. Its unflinching view of the often surreal first stage of Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine and its impact on everyday civilians is an important watch in its own right, but it also provides useful context to the events that preceded the full-scale war. 

It is a series of loosely connected vignettes that follows civilians, local politicians, and soldiers on both sides as they attempt to negotiate their changed reality amid Ukraine’s war with the Russian army and its proxies.

The film elicits an emotional response from viewers and is unrelentingly bleak, but it never feels forced. While it shows the horrible living conditions of local residents resulting from the war, it does not dwell on human suffering, instead often opting to show the labyrinth of corruption and chaos that accompanied the de facto loss of Kyiv’s control of parts of eastern Ukraine.

It is not overtly political, but Loznitsa makes it obvious which side he is on by clearly indicating which scenes take place in “occupied territories of Ukraine” and which scenes take place in “government-controlled territories.” 

At the same time, the movie was somewhat controversial in Ukraine when it was released, in part because of its grim depiction of eastern Ukraine and lack of sympathetic characters. 

The director shows a multi-faceted view of daily life in the parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian proxies, from the standard pocket-skimming bureaucrats to the soldiers who seem openly intent on cosplaying their previous generation’s victory over Nazi Germany. At the heart, however, is how local civilians, many of whom proclaim their lack of interest in politics, are caught in the middle.

A scene where a local man goes to retrieve his stolen car from Russian proxies only to find that it has been “expropriated” for the cause of victory (in the fight against Kyiv) – and then is solicited for further bribes – is illustrative of the depths of cynicism expressed by Russians and their proxies. 

Loznitsa shows how Russia callously uses Ukrainian civilians, both for financial gain or propaganda purposes, the latter of which is painfully illustrated by the disturbing scenes that conclude the film. The shocking nature of the scenes is largely because they are unexpected, so I will not share any additional information.

Cynicism is used for painful half-laughs, such as when a Russian proxy official blames Kyiv for stealing supplies from a hospital and then promptly steals from the hospital himself. It is also deployed to show the blatant nature of Russia’s previous lies that it was directly involved in the war, particularly in a scene when soldiers clearly wearing Russian military uniforms pretend that they are “local” but struggle to name the destroyed town they are in. But even this scene uses a tinge of dark comedy, as the Russian soldiers mock the situation. 

From the viewpoint of 2024, more than two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Loznitsa’s film takes viewers back to a time when Russia still attempted to hide the extent of its aggression and cruelty toward Ukraine. At the same time, the propaganda talking points used by Russians and their proxies remain largely unchanged in today’s rhetoric.

Perhaps most painfully, the film depicts a time when Russia occupied around 7% of Ukraine’s territory, whereas some 18% is now occupied in 2024.

Watching the film now, it is hard not to think about how the banal horror of Russia’s occupation illustrated in the film is currently being experienced at a much larger scale. 

“Donbass” was an official selection at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and was chosen as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 91st Academy Awards, but was not ultimately selected. 

You can watch “Donbass” on Amazon or the Criterion Channel.