Dark but free
letters from kyiv
Documentary, Ukrainian with English subtitles, Length: 82 min
“...and you just want to take all their feelings and all of the images they've seen onto yourself so that they can forget...”
— Yeva
Trailer
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ten young Kyivans were asked: "If you could send a video letter to a close person abroad, what would you want to tell them?" Their responses, captured as uninterrupted video letters rather than interviews, create a space for genuine reflection where subjects were often left alone with the camera.
Set in carefully composed, contemplative frames throughout their transformed capital, these intimate testimonials unfold at their own pace, allowing for both silence and revelation. Among the participants are a journalist, a stand-up comedian, a skater turned soldier, and several ordinary young Kyivans adapting to their new reality.
Moving past the familiar imagery of conflict, the film creates an intimate space for quiet reflection and human connection. Stripped of sensationalism, it makes these profound human experiences accessible to all.
What emerges is a tapestry of profound love for their city and country, raw confrontations with loss, and cautious hopes for the future. In its quiet observation, the film captures a generation maintaining their humanity while processing experiences that have forever transformed both their personal lives and their society.
“And after the war you'll walk and travel proudly around your country, and you'll clearly understand it's value and how much effort it cost you - and you love it.”
— Alina
“The more vulnerable this space became, the more rockets flew in, the more explosions, the more destruction, ... The more love I felt for it. And it's not pity; it's love.”
— Mariia
This documentary film is an independent production.
It would not be possible without the supporters who participated in the initial crowdfunding and other contributors, to whom I’m very grateful.
Original Soundtrack - Michal Reynaud
Sound Mix - Marek Musil
“You stand in the kitchen, scrolling through Tinder, making yourself coffee, the air raid alarm goes off and there's an explosion. Five kilometers away from you. And you continue to scroll through tinder and to make yourself coffee. I mean, Five kilometers is a lot. But in this moment, someone died.”
— Vitalik