Donbass Film Review

Loznitsa's Donbass Puts a Cynical Comic Spin on War-Torn Ukraine

Director Sergei Loznitsa presents an absurd and horrific tableau of cruelty in his 2018 film

Sergei Loznitsa's "Donbass" is a brutally matter-of-fact and cynically comic depiction of social destabilization in the titular war-ravaged region of Ukraine. Completed in 2018 before the current escalation of hostilities, the film presents an unnerving panorama of a society torn apart by conflict.

Loznitsa's film is a series of loosely connected vignettes that capture the absurdity and horror of war. In one scene, a group of separatists randomly guns down a film crew, but the event is presented as a staged performance. In another, a man is forced to dig his own grave while being interrogated by Ukrainian soldiers. Loznitsa's film is a powerful and disturbing indictment of war, as well as a chilling reminder of the fragility of peace.

The film's title, "Donbass," is a reference to the region in eastern Ukraine that has been the site of intense fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists since 2014. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 people and displaced millions more.

Loznitsa's film is a powerful and timely reminder of the human cost of war.