“War is hell.” This quote, often associated with Civil War General William Sherman, rings true regarding war’s effect and ultimate cost. From the dawn of civilization, humanity has usually found itself marred in conflict, making war tragically a part of life. Nevertheless, the fact that war is now a commonplace occurrence does not diminish its devastating effect. The 21st century has seen a myriad of global conflicts, with one of the most recent and devastating being the ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022 has impacted international politics and altered the lives of the Ukrainian people. The new documentary Militantropos documents a country at war and how it was and still is fundamentally reshaped.
The directors of Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith, and Simon Mozgovyi define Militantropos as – a persona accepted by humans entering a state of war. The chaos of war tears apart the physical world and the sense of self. They combine the words for soldier (milit) and human (antropos) from the Latin and Greek. This is a fitting combination in their insightful look into the human condition of war. In this film, they seek to capture war in real-time, but this is far from a rote examination of a war-torn country. Instead, the story unfolds across the lives of the people affected.
There is a humanistic examination of war. As is often the case, conflict can seem far off. The civilians exit the proximity and only read or see the conflict through its prism, not affecting their daily lives. This is not the case in Ukraine. War is everywhere, and so it is only natural to assume it would touch every facet of daily life. As an audience, we witness firsthand the daily destruction and literal transformation of a wartime society.
Militantropos aims to be involved in the battle, not necessarily on the battlefields but in the towns and cities across Ukraine. We are there with the people as the war remakes their lives. The film captures the transformation brought on by war. People are a part of war, and war is a part of people. There is nothing mutually exclusive about the conflict, and the film brings straight to the forefront the brutality, the disruption, and poignantly, the dogged hope.
There is an inspiring sense of eternal optimism throughout the film. As the conflict has raged for three years, it is easy to imagine concessions becoming commonplace. A prevailing feeling of defeatism should reign, yet the film documents hope. Even in the shadow of spoken and rampant destruction, there is a beautiful symphony in how the film documents the lives and livelihoods of the Ukrainian people. Life, even in the face of destruction, carries on.
A final series of shots speaks to the film’s central point: men, now soldiers, leaving their families and boarding trains. The iconography is similar to what could be conjured in a fictionalized setting. Here, though, there is reality instead of drama. The tears are real. Oftentimes, war is stylized in a flashy manner, capturing more external forces than internal ones. Here, we witness the actual effect of war, not in outright bloodshed, but in the literal transformation of men into soldiers.
The seasons change, the war persists, but life marches on. The film has several arresting shots that capture the unmistakable beauty even against the backdrop of destruction. Several shots in the spring show flowers blossoming and buds popping on trees. There is beauty even in war. The movie captures this sentiment and expresses that war and life cannot be separate. In this conflict, there is a unification between the people and the war pounding at their doors.
Militantropos
Militantropos held its World Premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Directors: Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi
Rated: NR
Runtime: 111m
As thought-provoking as it is, Militantropos embeds itself in our soul and elicits an emotional response. This is the power of documentary filmmaking—to showcase the world not as it might be but as it is. War is horror, but even against the backdrop of bloodshed, flashes of renewal exist in the seeds of hope planted across the fields. Winter's harsh wrath eventually fades, and the warm glow of spring rises over the horizon.
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Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Revenge of The Sith.
