Maciek Hamela’s documentary offers a compelling perspective on the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the stories of people fleeing the country in a van.
Maciek Hamela’s perceptive documentary “In the Rearview” seats us in a van shuttling groups of Ukrainians from conflict areas to safety. That simple viewpoint, along with roadside scenes of pickups and drop-offs, captures the moments when ordinary life ended and the deadly chaos of the Russian invasion began.
Filmed in 2022 when Hamela volunteered as an evacuation driver, the van passes checkpoints, burned-out cars and disemboweled buildings while steering clear of mined roads and bombed bridges. But the van presents a safe space where passengers can talk about who and what they left behind, sleep, or just sit in silence.
Instead of dwelling on danger, these serial portraits of everyday Ukrainians — sometimes family members neatly dressed for cool weather, carrying the odd belongings or cat — show people who have made their decision to leave but are still processing what that means.
Travelers young and old talk about what happened in gripping, brief monologues: a lost husband, a surrogate pregnancy left in the lurch at a clinic, an abandoned cow, or torture at the hands of the enemy. The children look cherubic but sometimes glazed-over; unprompted, one girl reflexively proffers a paper with her identifying information to someone at the front of the van.
Many passengers seem to be heading to the Polish border from remote Ukrainian villages. But the van’s familiar interior has a way of underlining how many other millions across history have had to escape military aggression. Hamela’s work as driver and documentarian reflects that reality while offering a spirit of resilience.
In the Rearview
Not rated. In Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on most major platforms.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
