I just watched “2000 meters to Andriivka” at the Siskel Center. I started crying even before the documentary title appeared on the screen. Then I stopped crying because there were no tears left. And then I started to cry again when they showed footage of the funerals. And for all these almost two hours, I felt eternal hatred towards those who started this war and those who allowed it to happen.
Horror. Hopelessness. Sorrow for all these lives gone, especially since Mstyslav Chernov tells us which of the soldiers he filmed were injured and died later. And the way he runs the excerpts from the news coverage from the days of the counter-offense, mentioning that “it didn’t deliver to expectations” or whatever the language was.
To say this documentary is difficult to watch is to say nothing. The official trailer below does not give even a remote impression of it. I don’t know how to keep living life as usual when you know that this actually happened, and that the corpses I saw on the screen were not props, and the captured Russian officer was not an actor.
P.S. If you are in Chicago, there are two more screenings.
Hettie's Reflections 
Oh wow, I haven’t watched it yet; they will start screening it in our cinemas somewhere in late August, I suppose. Thanks for watching it, despite its heaviness.
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Heaviness is not even the right word; I can’t compare this documentary with anything I have ever seen…
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I’ve had almost no tears left for a very long time now. All that I have left is a mix of exhaustion and determination to help the Ukrainian army with every little bit that I can, and my only regret is that I never have much money to donate. We already have the volunteer networks in place here in Bulgaria with the active participation of Ukrainian refugees, it is possible for us to send humanitarian aid by land transport and buy things in our own currency, so everybody knows what to do. Our only problem is that it is not legal for our registered charities to buy and donate anything with even “potential military use”, so for example consumer drones are not an option, but on the other hand, “civilian” vehicles, electric generators and army-standard boots (and of course, food and medical supplies) are just fine.
Talking to a friend who may get killed by an enemy army any moment has never stopped feeling weird; I have now had two friends who had cancer and died of it, but talking to them when I already knew that they were headed towards death was a more “normal” experience in comparison. Watching that friend’s live video reports from the “ghost town” area of Kherson (as far as he ventures to go as the relatively safe distance from his home gradually diminishes) feels absolutely bizarre. His only regret is that he is no longer young and healthy enough to be a soldier. I have now learned to understand most of what he says in Ukrainian.
Yet I have to admit that I avoid looking at photos of dead bodies from his local news because THAT may give me a lifelong “supply” of nightmares. I am afraid to look at modern war documentaries for the same reason.
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Yes, on the one hand, you are closer geographically, and it makes it easier to send goods, because the cost of transportation does not diminish the gift amount. On the other hand, there is a shortage of funds in general. I understand, and I absolutely admire everything you’ve done to support Ukraine! It’s way-way more than most people have done. And most importantly, the fact that the war in Ukraine is on your mind – that helps humanity more than you could think!
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