The 3rd Summer Film Review Under The Common Sky

A poignant portrayal of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, seen through the eyes of a small, four-year-old protagonist. The world surrounding her appears terrifying and permeated with red: from the blood of the wounded, through the sky illuminated by explosions, to the city consumed by flames. The girl desperately seeks shelter, and the shots of her shoes become a visual leitmotif, emphasizing the dramatic nature of the situation. The narrative is a rebellious and anger-filled song, with its expressive vocals combined with the visuals creating an incredibly suggestive and moving message. The creators also utilized authentic photographs of destroyed buildings in Mariupol and war drawings made by a nine-year-old boy. The animation is dedicated to the children suffering and killed during the war in Ukraine.

17-year-old Kira is growing up in a wealthy, cultured family and plans her future as an actress. It’s 1990, and her adult life is about to take off when she makes a discovery that shatters the image of her beloved father – a film director, and pushes her own family down the same path as the collapsing Soviet Union. Partly autobiographical, Tonya Noyabrova’s film is an emotionally intense and stunningly beautiful Ukrainian coming-of-age story, but also a meticulous study of a bygone era, filled with details characteristic of those times.

Nargis, a domestic worker, is desperately searching for information about her husband Manzoor, who was arrested after joining an armed rebellion. It is unknown whether he is alive or dead. When Nargis’ employer learns that Manzoor is a fighter, she loses her job. Forced to return to her hometown, she receives support from Yaseen, who is in love with her. Unexpectedly, one day Manzoor returns home, and subtle emotional changes occur in the relationships between the three protagonists.
The backdrop of the film is Kashmir – a region where minor and major skirmishes and acts of terrorism constantly occur as a result of the long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan, as well as a border dispute with China.

The story follows three young Vietnamese women – Phuong, An, and Nhu, who come to Japan to work as technical trainees. When their passports are confiscated, the women decide to flee their workplace, becoming illegal immigrants. However, a broker living in a quiet village helps them find shelter in a fishing hut and new jobs at a small fish processing plant. As Phuong begins to fall ill, the girls face new challenges and difficulties.
With sensitivity and empathy, Akio Fujimoto portrays the complex situations the protagonists find themselves in, showing their determination to strive for a better life despite adversity.

Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia, has never desired a husband. She values her freedom as much as her baked goods. However, her decision to live a solitary life becomes the subject of gossip among the villagers. Unexpectedly, Etero falls passionately in love with a man and faces a choice: continue the relationship or maintain her independence. The protagonist must confront her own feelings and decide how to find her own path to happiness.

For a lonely protagonist, a journey from London to Ozerna, a small Ukrainian village, to meet her relative unexpectedly becomes the beginning of her path to regaining strength and forming a close bond with another person. The two women meet at difficult moments in their lives – Aunt Slava is 87 years old and misses her late husband, while Karina, several decades younger, cannot find her place in the world. In the Ukrainian countryside, we observe the birth of an intergenerational and transnational friendship between two lost women.

The beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. People suspended in time and space, facing an uncertain here and now, decide to abandon what is most precious to them and get into a dusty van with foreign license plates without a second thought. The vehicle travels thousands of kilometers, serving various functions: a waiting room, a hospital, a shelter, and above all, a space for confessions and revelations, which the fellow travelers by chance naturally begin to share. „From Where to Where” is a collective portrait composed of the experiences of people who have one goal: to find safe shelter. In the van, their temporary asylum, differences of gender, age, skin color, physical ability, origin, identity, views or faith are abolished.

In the remote region of Meghalaya, located in northeastern India, where widespread Christianity clashes violently with ancient, pagan tribal beliefs, a local pastor exerts strict control over a rural community that comes alive mainly at night. For Kasan, a young boy with a visual impairment, the world couldn’t be more terrifying. While the domineering clergyman prophesies the apocalypse, mysterious disappearances begin to occur in the village.
Director Dominic Sangma skillfully builds an atmosphere of unease and tension, deftly interweaving supernatural elements with a realistic portrayal of life in an isolated rural community. Consequently, he creates an intriguing thriller that prompts reflection on the nature of faith, power, and the human psyche in the face of the unknown.

After the tragic death of his sister-in-law in a motorcycle accident in Saigon, Thien is burdened with the responsibility of transporting her body to her hometown in the countryside. He also takes his nephew Dao, who miraculously survived the fatal accident, on this journey. Amidst the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Thien begins his search for his older brother, who disappeared years ago, to entrust him with Dao’s care – this journey becomes a profound test of his faith.

„Scattered Nest” is a poignant documentary that follows the story of the Shymko family, forced to leave their home in Belarus in search of political asylum in France. Their journey turns into a struggle for survival when they become trapped in the country they were trying to escape. However, the dreams of the protagonists extend far beyond national borders.

In 2020, Minsk, Belarus becomes the scene of massive anti-government protests. Citizens take to the streets to defend their dreams and oppose the state of unrest they have been living in for years. Balancing between fear and courage, they seek solidarity from the police force deployed on the streets to silence their voices. We follow these events alongside Mara, a witness to the presidential elections in Belarus, who escapes reality into the world of dreams.
Maintained in the poetics of a dream, Sasha Kulak’s film is a very personal story of the Belarusian protests, a time of hope and social unity when everything seemed possible.

The New Year’s Eve night shift at a Warsaw hostel turned out to be a real nightmare for the girl working at the reception desk. She saved a guest’s life – and that was just the beginning of this incredibly intense night.

A portrait of a brave and determined woman who never let go of her dreams. Raisa, a Chechen woman, flees her country to fight for herself and her children. By deciding to leave, she breaks out of the traditional system. It is the only way to express her opposition to the rules prevailing in her home country and the wrongs she has suffered. She shares her difficult experiences with her Polish language teacher. This film is about female strength, determination, and the struggle for dignity and independence.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine finds Alina in Irpin, near Kyiv. She is alone, with her leg in a cast after a recent surgery. The bombed and cut-off city becomes a trap from which she manages to escape with one of the last evacuation groups. She reaches a cottage in a nearby village where her parents are stuck. For the first few weeks, they try to live normally. Her mother conducts online classes, her father takes care of his cats and animals from the neighborhood, and Alina films the ongoing events. However, the front line is getting closer, and they have to make a decision – stay or flee? As neighbors leave their homes, Alina and her parents hurry to pack under the cover of night. At the last moment, her father decides not to go…

Ukraine, 2022. Kherson under Russian occupation. Kostia, engaged in underground resistance against the Russians, is constantly in hiding. Only his mother, who believes that the Russian invasion is a blessing for the country, knows his whereabouts. Tonight, he barely escaped death. He comes to his mother to check if she was the one who betrayed him. A heated argument ensues between them, but when his mother offers him a meal, he is unable to refuse and silently sits down at the table. As he is about to leave, a Russian agent bursts into the room, apparently waiting for the right moment. He takes Kostia’s mother hostage, threatening to shoot her if the boy does not surrender. Kostia must make a choice: surrender to save his mother, who betrayed him, or escape and save his own life.