User reviews

My family moved out of Mariupol in mid-2021. We lived in between the Drama Theater and maternity hospital, across from the University. We sometimes sat outside at Coffee Racer cafe next to the hospital, drank coffee, and watched people strolling along Miru Ave.

My mother stayed behind in Mariupol. Despite the ominous warnings, nobody really expected a full-scale invasion with bombs and artillery. She lived directly across the street from hospital #2, which is where the filmmakers hid through much of the movie. In fact, her burning apartment building is the opening shot of "Day 16". The area all along Kuprina St, adjacent to the hospital and small church, sits at the very western edge of the city, which took the brunt of the attacks approaching from Crimea direction.

After surviving the initial bombings and attacks, Mom had to drink, cook, and clean herself with water from a well adjacent to shallow graves of her neighbors. Survivors chopped up furniture to burn for cooking. It was truly medieval in every way possible, and intentionally so. After 73 days trapped, she made it out by a miracle of good luck, but not before first going through Bezimmene filtration camp.

None of my family will watch this movie except me. Everything is too close and too familiar. One thing the movie does not show is how vibrant and thriving this same city had been prior to 2/24/22. It seems surreal to see your old comfortable neighborhood get intentionally destroyed on international news. To be honest, the Russians were so jealous of Mariupol that they tried to murder it. They cannot get away with this.

This is a story that absolutely needs to be seen and heard - without any sugar-coating - as painful as it may be.

I think this documentary needs to be added on YouTube and watched for free, specially in Russia! Everyone have to see how russian army killed civilians, women, children. This documentary is an evidence of the war!

I was crying heavily during all movie. I was always thinking "what happened to the people who were caught on camera? Are they alive? What happened to this little girl which was born? Did this man got to his wife? Did the boy survived? What happened to a policeman? Is he still alive? How about this doctor who was shouting about Putin? Where is he? Is he ok? What about these military men? " I couldn't stop thinking about these people!

If you are a human being alive in 2024 and living in a civilised country, this is mandatory viewing. If your government is blocking aide to Ukraine, get on the phone to your representatives every day, make noise, donate what you can to approved organisations (Red Cross, etc), demonstrate (peacefully), wear the colours of Ukraine, and NEVER let anyone forget what is happening there.

For two years I wear a pin with the Ukraine colours every day, and strangers come to me and shake my hand, or share a "Slava Ukraini"! With me.

What is currently happening with funding from the richest countries in the world drying up for internal political reasons is the biggest sin I have witnessed in my lifetime.

Share this film with everyone you know!

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.

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.

As heart wrenching a film as you're ever likely to see; you will be overwhelmed with disbelief that in the 21st Century the sights and sounds captured by Mstyslav Chernov's camera and microphone can actually take place; that innocent children, women and men can be forced to endure such torment and turmoil, by an aggressor who has no concern for the rules of engagement during times of conflict, and is clearly targeting the most vulnerable citizens of a city that's been battered and beaten continually by munitions of destruction, where even the hospitals are open season for razing. Not long ago it was Syria, For Sama, and there is a common denominator.

I was very lucky to attend a sold-out screening of 20 Days in Mariupol in Boston that Mstyslav Chernov himself attended. This is a must-see, brutally honest and beautifully told documentary that portrays the naked evil and barbarity of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine from a deeply human standpoint. Chernov's voice as a storyteller is achingly Ukrainian, and the film's tone and editing evoke a sort of spiritual pain that exceeds the material destruction of war.

20 Days has a very strong edit that leaves in moments of Chernov's camera falling by his side as he's resting or unable to film: these moments add extra depth of realism and transport the audience into the warzone, not just watching some polished news report. There is almost a "found footage" quality to the edit and frantic first-person shaky cam scenes, but this film is much scarier and more disturbing than any horror movie could be because it's the truth, and to this very moment Mariupol is occupied by the same ruzzian butchers seen in this documentary.

The music and sound are another highlight-- the film ends on images of russian occupation set to a disturbing, pulse-like tone. The music throughout by Jordan Dykstra compliments the scenes greatly and elevates the film's tone, both in highly disturbing war scenes and in moments of bleak, depressing stillness.

20 Days in Mariupol is a cultural and historical document that should absolutely be shown in schools, especially in the West, so non-Ukrainian people can finally begin to understand the brutal, colonial and genocidal nature of russian imperialism. Mstyslav Chernov is nothing short of a hero in my eyes, and an incredibly brave and profoundly-spoken human being.

Watch this film and show it to as many people as you can.

This is one of the most important productions to be seen about Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. We have all seen the footage in western media, but to see what it took for the truth to come out needs to be seen.

What this and many other cities and villages have been subjected to for Putin's quest for power is an important record for posterity.

It is very hard to watch, but comparing that to what the population lived and is living through is miniscule.

When I saw this in the theater, I never saw an auditorium empty so quietly.

The Oscar win this year is well deserved and hat's off to the entire team.

War is ugly, but few things can prepare you for the things you see in this documentary.

As a father of 2 young children I couldn't hold back constant tears throughout.

Death is everywhere. Innocent people caught in the middle of something they never asked. Innocent children playing soccer getting their legs blown off by Russian shelling. A 4 year old boy crying in from of the camera saying he doesn't want to die. Doctors trying to bring back to life a 5 year old girl. And failing.

A young couple not believing that the doctors couldn't save their 18 month boy.

So hard to watch. But I watched, as should you. To see evil, understand it and not let it win.

20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL (2023). Academy Award Winner for Documentary Feature.

Mstyslav Chernov and his team of Ukrainian journalists embedded themselves in Mariupol for some of the earliest days of the Russian invasion and documented it for the Associated Press. It's a brutal bracing first person look at the war (Chernov narrates).

It's not an easy watch and Chernov never shies away from bringing the viewer up close to the events. It's the citizens of Mariupol who are it focus, although the Documentary makes a good case that the city itself is a 'person'. Once vibrant and alive, and now under constant siege.

In Chernov's stirring Oscar acceptance speech, he wishes that he never had to make 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, and as a viewer one may wish to have never seen it. But, watch it we must. It's vital for the story to be told.

This is quite an harrowing documentary following a camera crew who secret themselves in a makeshift hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol as the Russian military advances. What starts on day one as a largely intact and functioning urban area is gradually reduced to rubble as the invading forces bombard the place from the ground and the air slowly terrorising the populace and removing their access to even the most basic of necessities - shelter, water, electricity. It's told chronologically, and therefore it's quite easy for us to see the degradation day-by-day as the people somewhat stoically determine to stay put in the face of some pretty overwhelming military might. The fact that many people do stay is remarkably well captured here. Not just those living there, but those in the professional services who stay to tend the sick, put out the fires - their own sort of "Blitz Spirit". It's emotionally charged from the start and though there can be no denying it's propagandist nature at times, it still offers us an undeniable video-diary of the indiscriminate destruction of a city where - just like the V1 and V2 rockets - these explosives literally fall out of the sky and land where they may. There is clearly no "targeting" going on with the assault. The narration is just a little too softly spoken. Not that it needed Lord Olivier, but it was quite difficult to hear that was being described at times. In the end, I don't suppose that mattered too much for we can easily see what is going on. Ultimately, it also illustrates well the futility of this invasion. Whoever is left in control of this extended bomb site is unlikely to ever be able to make any use of it, or it's facilities, again. It's obliteration for the sake of it - purely as a show of strength intended to intimidate. This is a solid testament to courageous journalism that tugs at the heart strings, arouses anger and sympathy and though never an easy watch is well worth looking at.

This documentary is about as real as it gets. The film is pieced together from footage shot in Mariupol during February and March 2022. You might have already seen snippets, especially from the maternity hospital, but this takes you day by day and includes some less common materials.

I won't get into the usual critiques of quality or story flow. That would be idiotic. They captured what they could in the midst of war, when everything including electricity for their cameras was at scarce. It surprises me that some reviewers are complaining, as if this were some Hollywood production in the making for five years. Jesus.

I recommend watching it. The war is ongoing, and it won't just disappear because we're tired of it. It serves as a powerful reminder to the world about what's happening in Ukraine every day.

Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, and reputed to be the favorite to win, this is a film that is composed mainly from handycam footage from a hospital in the city of Mariupol during the Russian invasion.

It's a hard and unpleasant film to watch, full of gory scenes, dead men, women, children and babies, it shows the horrors of war. Unfortunately, and this is a terrible indictment of the world we live in, particularly at this moment, had I watched this 4 months ago I would have been much more shocked than I was watching it now. The last few months of non-stop footage of death and destruction in Gaza has made me look at this film as another iteration of the horrors of war, in the same vein as those that Palestinian journalists have been recording daily and spreading on our social networks.

This is of course not a criticism of the movie, but my personal reflection on why this film didn't feel as special or unique as it should have been. In fact, this film shouldn't exist because such situations should not exist, of course. As it is, it's an interesting and obviously shocking, diary of the fall of Mariupol and the atrocities that were committed there. Nothing has gotten better, the world has just become so ugly that what should have been a shocking documentary is just starting to feel commonplace, we've all had more than our share of dead babies to look at these past few months.

I am Ukrainian but i was lucky enough to flee after one week of shelling around Kyiv. I wantad to see this movie for many months but i just could not and and one day i was just ready to do it.

Its like i have accumulated the grief and one day I was ready to let it go.

This movie is so true in its horror. Too true to be true. So real sometimes it feels surreal...

I cried like a wild animal, couldnt hold it in.

Its like something I as a Ukrainian been hiding down inside of me for these two years and this movie just let it all out.

Its like i live, function, laugh, but behind the curtain i am dead like all these people in me beloved Ukraine.

The whole truth about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Everyone should see it. Real footage.

Mariupol is the city that got the most, as it was geographically easier for Russians to enter it. And so this city is the best proof of what would happen to the whole country if Ukrainian defenders did not cope. This tape is the best proof that the Russian army committed genocide and numerous war crimes.

It's hard to watch because the brain refuses to believe that this can happen in Europe in our time. And that's why everyone has to see it. So that there are no more questions about who is bad and who is good. Where is the evil, and where is the good.

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.

The most gut wrenching film I've ever watched. Every American should be required to watch this if they have any questions/doubts as to why the USA is giving aid of all kinds to Ukraine in their fight to remain a sovereign country. This is not so much a "war movie" as there are surprisingly few soldiers shown throughout the movie. It's a real time documenting of the horrors of war as endured by the civilian population of Mariupol. From day to day scenes of watching the war progress in the distance to one day it's literally in the street in front of you, you'll never think of the concept of "war" the same ever again.

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.

A warning that this movie is graphic, unsettling, and extremely uncomfortable to watch at times, however that is precisely why it is equally as powerful. It has some narration to explain to the viewer the context of what is being shown, however in general the authors are taking the visual approach and let the footage speak for itself, which makes this movie a great journalistic piece. Kudos to authors for risking their lives to get this footage, and to AT and Frontline for allowing the movie to be accessible (I watched it for free on youtube), because it is important for the world to see what has happened and is still happening. The camera does not lie and this is how Russia's "liberation" looks like. Next time you hear someone defend Putin's actions or try to justify Russia's actions, just ask them to watch this documentary and make their own conclusions from the ground-level footage. It is unfortunate that there is no end in sight for the war and nobody knows how and when it will end, but bringing awareness is important to make sure that the world does not forget that the war is still raging, and there have been and will be more stories similar or worse than the ones depicted in this movie that unfortunately will be left untold.

Ashes of a City's Broken Wings In the haunting maze of human existence, 20 Days in Mariupol can be called a gloomy reflection of humanity's predicament rigidly chained by ruthless dictators and the engulfing darkness of war. The film stands as a mournful embodiment of existentialist philosophy, excavating the darkened depths of life to reveal the harrowing reality of a world ensnared by power-hungry and bloodthirsty tyrants and their unquenchable desire for power.

The film's imagery and storytelling are profoundly jolting and haunting, sending tremors through the very core of each individual's being once they've witnessed it. The mere thought of enduring such circumstances becomes an overwhelming prospect, as it strikes at the very essence of our hearts. This movie turns into a message from a place of utter emptiness and sadness. Its broken, wild way makes us wake up to the truth-showing how life can be crazy and unpredictable and also strongly emphasizes the dominion of dictators over today's world.

20 Days in Mariupol, bravely though ruthlessly dissects the grim reality, all the while ominously compelling us to shape a domain of profound significance; an existence veiled in shadows, yet pulsating with a resolute call for justice and empathy.

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.

Very rarely feels this hard to rate a movie.

Yes, it has scenes you will remember for weeks, maybe for ever.

Yes, it gives the viewer a strong impression about how war actually feels for a civilian (or a journalist).

On the other hand, it is very hard to rate the production as a movie / documentary. You don't get too much context, you see and hear mostly things that you'd expect to see browsing a collection of footages.

The main feature of the production is some kind of recklessness: the makers spent 20 days risking their lives for getting any coverage out from the city, and also, were not shy to show us shocking images about people who, it seems, were never asked (couldn't be asked) wheteher they find it OK to be on film (some even protest, but end up on the screen anyway).

So, at the end, it is a philosophical question.

If you believe the perfect documentary is something that makes you feel you were part of the experience it is about, 20 Days in Mariupol is perfect. If you seek some kind of cinematic production, you yill be one of those people, who will feel it almost unwatchable (and not just for ethical reasons).

Piece of concentrated pain, rage and fear. I am from Kharkiv and I left my city on 24 Feb, but of course I was reading all news about Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mariupol and other cities. There were events I absolutely forgot and the film reminded me about them - I remember the photo of maternity hospital, photo of elderly man sitting next to body covered in blanket and photo of parents who lost their child. Horrific atrocities.

More people needs to see this. People from russia are masters in plotting new truths by denying real truth - our mission should be to protect real truth and show it to people.

I probably wont sleep today - the film left deep wounds on my heart. Or maybe I wont sleep because russia launches drones and missiles to attack Kyiv, who knows.

When Russia invades Ukraine in February 2022 all the press leave...except for a team of Ukrainian journalists from Associated Press. This team stayed in the city, witnessing first-hand the destruction and loss of life the invasion brought. This is their film footage of the Russian invasion of Mariupol.

A quite incredible and shocking documentary. Details day by day the attack on Mariupol, showing the wanton destruction wrought and the innocent lives taken.

Everything is filmed as it happened, making the shock and engagement factor even higher. Quite emotional too as we see people who only days before were living a peaceful existence safe in their houses suddenly have everything taken away from them. Even more sobering and chilling is seeing death unfold before your eyes. The hospital scenes are particularly confronting.

While most of detail in the documentary is conveyed through the film footage, journalist/director Mstyslav Chernov also narrates what is happening around him and how he is getting his footage out. There's also a degree of intrigue as to how the journalists are going to get out to more fully tell the story of what is happening in Mariupol.

An extraordinary documentary, well deserving of the Oscar it won for Best Documentary in 2024.