Content from DGTL RLGN

A raw portrait of a group of rebellious youth thrust into adulthood too soon, navigating the wreckage of the Soviet regime set in the late 1990s in Kyiv.

On one of the last days of summer vacation, 12-year-old Yarik and his friend Igor witness a disturbing scene. The boys see a man allegedly strangling a young girl in the woods - but everyone concludes: Igor is sure that the two fell in love, while Yarik is convinced that the woman was killed. The history of finding evidence of a crime is revealed by growing up.

Once upon a time in the dressing room of the famous Dakh theatre in Kyiv, seven actresses came up with the Dakh Daughters project. At their first solo show, Roses, they presented the world with a contemporary interpretation of the art of cabaret, which, in its absolute carnival freedom, knows how to entertain the public with the most serious topics. At the same time, Ukraine found itself on the threshold of significant change, not just in society, but also in the consciousnesses of thousands of people. The Revolution of Dignity and the war in the East reveal the nuances of the protagonists’ personalities, worldviews, creative reflections.

The protagonist researcher Dmytro Gromov and the cameraman Angel Angelov are embarking on a dangerous mission: both are planning to cross about 50 km of inhospitable desert in order to illegally enter the protected hangars of Baikonur and watch the launch of the rocket. The heat of the desert reaches almost 47 degrees Celsius. Dehydration, starvation, physical and psychological exhaustion are not the only difficulties on their way to Baikonur. The guys are risking to be arrested and put in jail if they will be spotted by the Russian military forces, since the Cosmodrome is under the legislation of Russian Federation. In such unfavorable circumstances, the protagonist is discovering his own personality traits that he was not aware of before: in vulnerability and fear, he is now inclined to quit his endeavor altogether. The adrenaline of discovery finally overtakes the fear of getting caught. The investigation of the classified object turns into the exploration of the self.

The film investigates the kidnapping and alleged murder of a soldier in Donbas, in 2014. Together with his father, an elderly fisherman from the Southern Ukraine, we follow the trail of his captors. Traveling from the calm Azov coastline to industrial conglomerates, from the furious mining region to the sleepless capital, we try to find the witnesses of the young soldier's final hours, as well as those who could have seen his body. The film uses a wide range of video and audio material including news, voice recordings and interviews. Its complex narrative construction shows the long and winding path of a father who seeks justice for his son's murderers.

Marta, the film's director, faces her fears and digs into the realm of her estranged sister Nastia, a Greek-Catholic nun, to re-evaluate the world they both were brought up in.