20 días en Mariúpol

I saw this in a well-attended cinema screening just the other day. I can't recall a film having the impact this one did. At the end credits - silence. No one said a word and slowly filtered out. Its difficult not being effected by this film, as it confronts the viewer with the sort of hard-hitting stuff that the news generally air-brushes out. Its pretty much the exact opposite of comfort viewing - this film confirms not only are things bad but they are probably a lot worse than you imagined them to be.

As the title indicates, this is a ground level view of events in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the first 20 days of the Russian invasion. A disembodied voice-over relates details and an ominous soundtrack magnifies certain moments but mostly, the footage speaks for itself. The basic set-up has journalist Mstyslav Chernov stay behind to film events as the horror of war escalates on a daily basis. From Chernov's position, we are put directly into the war zone and are confronted with the civilian experience. To this end, we are forced to see the terror and suffering that these innocent people are forced to endure on account of a war initiated for utterly disingenuous reasons. While this is clearly a film about the Ukrainian situation and the sheer wrongness of the Russian invasion, it also will get you thinking that it is also about war in general, as these shocking moments are happening all over our world as part of various military conflicts. We can become desensitised to this and our news reporting is often far too sanitised, allowing us to more easily disconnect. Its films like this one which approaches war in the opposite way and ensures the viewer has no easy escape.

Considering the searing nature of this troubling documentary, I feel somewhat uneasy in recommending it as must-see viewing. Nevertheless, this is one of those films that has to be seen in order for the truth behind its story to be fully realized. When Ukrainian journalist-writer-director Mstyslav Chernov and two colleagues chronicled the first days of the nation's brutal conflict with Russia, they probably had no idea what they were in for. Working from the Black Sea port city of Mariupol, they captured devastating footage of the relentless Russian attacks, particularly the enemy's ruthless assaults on civilian targets, despite assurances to the contrary. The Russians were simultaneously determined to destroy the Ukrainian communications infrastructure to prevent word of the atrocities from getting out to the wider world, seriously hindering the work of Chernov and company as the only international journalists still in the war-torn country at the time. As the city was systematically being destroyed, the international community had little knowledge of what was transpiring in Mariupol beyond Russian President Vladimir Putin's skewed propaganda claims. But, when images of the warfront finally made their way out of Ukraine, the world got an entirely new perspective on the carnage unfolding there, despite the Russians' astoundingly incredulous claims that everything that had been photographed was staged, not unlike what one would find on a movie set. Such reporting opened the eyes of the world, first in media coverage at the time and now in this film, a joint production of the Associated Press and the PBS documentary series Frontline. This gripping release holds nothing back, making it an exceedingly difficult watch for virtually everyone, including those with thick skins who ordinarily might not be affected by such graphic imagery. However, it honestly reveals what the Ukrainians were up against in this horrific siege, putting the war crimes of the aggressors on display for all to see. In addition, this offering reinforces the importance of the work of intrepid journalists under the most trying of conditions, particularly where those wreaking havoc are desperate to keep the facts from reaching the light of day. This highly acclaimed film - a recipient of ample awards season buzz and honors - may be difficult to sit through, but discovering the truth is often a challenging process, and both Ukraine and the world should be grateful that there are those out there who are willing to put themselves on the line to see that through, no matter how treacherous or daunting circumstances may be.

I don't usually include reviews on documentaries on this blog, but '20 Days in Mariupol' is a documentary that needs to be seen. This is current, relevant, and illustrates the horrors of war.

On February 24th, 2022 the city of Mariupol in Ukraine still looked normal. In the words of the narrator: "Wars don't start with explosions; it starts with silence." A Journalist team captures the outbreak of war, and documents how a city is reduced to ruins and rubble within just 20 days.

There are no actors here. There's no make-up, no CGI, no green/blue screen effects, no visual effects. We get to see the events unfold through the lens of a camera of men on the run fearing for their lives - raw footage. The documentary plays like a found footage sci-fi thriller, but this is real life with real people.

'20 Days in Mariupol' is harrowing to watch, and it is heartbreaking - more so because this is not fiction or fantasy. The film had me very emotional at times, so get that box of tissues before watching this. This ain't no popcorn flick; it is a hard-hitting documentary. Yes, it is depressing - as war generally is - but the world needs to see this. I'm so glad '20 Days in Mariupol' won the Oscar for Best Documentary. The film editing was also very good.

This is a brilliant, moving, audacious documentary from an extremely talented videographer and team, and deserves at least an Emmy and, even more preferably, an Oscar, but awards are not enough for this exceptional work.

This is a rare, you-are-there experience, in which you are immersed in the Russian takeover of a city in the Ukraine, and where you feel every emotion that these poor beseighed people feel.

The documentary starts on the week of March in which the Russian oligarch Putin (not the President, which would mean that he was elected) announces to the people of Ukraine that he is about to invade the country, and within moments, actually does launch a full-scale invasion, and we watch it happen almost moment by moment. Bombs fall on Soviet-style apartment complexes at a rate of hundreds a day, and the entire landscape soon begins to resemble the aftermath of Hiroshima.

But what is most dynamic is the actual impact on the people themselves, many of whom do not know who is bombing them. Astounding. Watching children, pregnant moms, and hospital workers taking the worst beating of all is utterly depressing, but, like all medicine, needs to be taken and swallowed whole.

Overall, this documentary is one of the most heart-wrenching, devastating, tear-jerking experiences ever. You owe it to yourself to see this to get the full effect, since words can never describe how much of an impact it will have on you.

It is a shame that it would only be available on PBS, since that will alienate at least 95% of the population that needs to watch it, but if there is even a smidgen of justice left in the world, the few who see it will tell everyone they know, and hopefully, something will come from it.

Thanks to the brave filmmakers who told this shocking story.

It is very difficult to watch this movie. The worst thing is that it covers less then 1% of the horrors that happened in Mariupol. When the russians launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they spared no shells and destroyed everything in their path. They destroyed entire cities, killed thousands of civilians and children. This is a real genocide of the Ukrainian people. I hope karma catches up with them. I hope the world society will do something to stop the bloody aggressor - the russia.

It is impossible to watch this movie and remain indifferent. It's very scary and it's very sad. I couldn't hold back tears the whole time I was watching the movie. I wish this had never happened, but unfortunately it is a reality, it really was. And it continues to this day.