Materials Mechanics

Directed by Liza Chakanava

With Alisa Gertsovskaya, Stanislav Moskvin and Liliyan Malkina

After Yana finds out that her best friend is trapped in the war in Ukraine, she is forced to examine the moral compasses within her family. She visits her grandparents, who seem to trust Russian TV and radio more than her own account of events. This intimate drama is based on the reality of families divided by the war in Ukraine, including the author’s own. The film explores the inevitable choices between love and politics, friends and family, silence and resistance.