Porcelain War - SIFF [2024]

Porcelain War [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

It was never a question of leaving or staying in Kharkiv for Slava and Anya, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Kharkiv has always been home, and to leave, abandoning everything they've known and loved, would be personally heartbreaking and felt like being complicit in the violently encroaching tyranny. This is exactly why they chose to stay, with Slava continuing his journey as a Ukrainian special forces member, teaching civilians how to safely and effectively contribute to the war effort.

The extraordinary story of Slava, Anya, and their friend Andrey, is the compelling narrative behind Porcelain War, an intimate exploration of artistic expression amidst the violence and chaos of war, shot mostly by the subjects in front of the camera. Slava and Anya not only chose to remain in the war-torn city of Kharkiv, steeling themselves against the bombardment of Russian aggression, but to continue to build and create the porcelain figurines that they've been making together for years. Often using the natural world as inspiration, sculpting various animals, the duo chose porcelain as their medium due to its paradoxical properties. Porcelain is fragile, yet also steadfast in its strength. Slava brags about how it can be buried for hundreds of years and remain intact, or easily restored.

But is he talking about the gorgeous figurines that he makes in his home with his wife? Behind the constant sirens of missile strikes, gunfire, and looming threat of cultural erasure at the doorstep. Or are porcelain's properties simply allusions to the resolve of Ukraine? Porcelain War often places these sculptures from Slava and Anya amid the destruction from the war. Ruined buildings, destroyed homes, all backgrounds for the artistic creation of a porcelain owl, lizard, and snail amongst other creatures. The juxtaposition of creation and beauty in the chaos of war provides Porcelain War with its gorgeous heartbeat. A documentary so full of dedication, and cultural preservation and I'll say it again, heart, that whenever Anya, Slava, and Andrey begin to speak I can't help but feel their pain. Not only their pain but their hopes, dreams, love for family and country, their whole existence is so beautifully depicted in a film that showcases the terror that they have to exist within.

Much of the story of Porcelain War is told through the subjects on screen, delivering a personal and intimate feel of the story, but occasionally one of the porcelain sculptures holds animated paintings on it. As an animated mural, the once static artwork becomes a dynamic storyteller, which when aided by Slava, Anya, or Andrey's narration coalesces into a breathtakingly innovative approach to documentary filmmaking.

Porcelain War [2024]

Slava and company's story is but a microcosm of the larger effort in Ukraine, represented effectively with deft editing and more somber moments of actual warfare from Slava's company. Shot from a first-person perspective, the action feels close in proximity and offers a sobering moment outside of the themes of art to remind us of what is at stake here. Anya and Slava create these sculptures, painting them to be rich with Ukrainian culture, to prevent the complete erasure of Ukraine. Just like how Slava continues to train civilians how to handle firearms, shoot, and become fighters to push back against Russia. But he also understands that if the worst-case scenario were to happen, much like porcelain, they would remain. Maybe buried for years, cracked, maybe broken, but they can and will be restored.

Lastly, I'll say that in the two years I've covered SIFF I've seen two breathtaking documentaries from Ukraine. Last year's 20 Days in Mariupol was breathtaking for much more horrific reasons, but the point I'm making is that Ukrainian determination and resolve are beautiful. We (using a general we for Americans here) gripe a lot, especially these days, about losing freedoms and whatnot, even using college commencement speeches to lament about not being in the 1930s anymore (oh the horror!!). But we couldn't possibly comprehend the idea of actually losing freedom, experiencing erasure on the scale we're seeing out of Ukraine and the documentaries about it are harrowing and more important than ever.

Froth

There's a rich history and culture to Ukraine, which is explained through the variety of beautiful sculptures in Porcelain War. Making the most sense to have a rich, and slightly sweet, brew to help you sit back and enjoy the phenomenal bit of storytelling you're about to watch. The Ascari Amber from Wheelie Pop Brewing is a robust amber that has all the qualities you'd be looking for. It's got great flavor, a roasty backbone with a sweetness at the front of each sip, while also balancing a nice level of bitterness to pull back that sweetness to not be overwhelming. Balance is a word I'd use to describe such a sensation. Coming in at 5.6% ABV you'll be able to really sip on this and enjoy not only your beverage, but an enriching experience brought on by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev's documentary picture that is high on my list of SIFF favorites this year.