Review for ‘‘Faces of War’ by Anton Zharov

  Around the world, but especially in Europe, no recent event has produced such a shock and had such a political, social & economic impact as the War In Ukraine following the Russian invasion last February. Anton Zharov's Faces of War is a pristine yet brutal documentary dedicated to the everyday people trying to make a difference in the ongoing conflict.

Zharov impresses as a novice filmmaker as he trains his lens on a colorful cast of everyday people, Ukrainians and foreigners, each doing their best to help the nation's unarmed population through medicine, material help, armed resistance or psychological support. Through their testimonies we get an unadulterated picture of hardship & perseverance that mainstream media often shies away from. The testimonies follow a rough timeline from the beginning of the war through the mounting destruction on civilian centers, as illuminated by the director's own frontline experience with a medic group.

On top of a great structure, the documentary is shot in crisp quality, with darkly enchanting cinematography and high-fidelity portraits of the protagonists, not shying away from their war and stress-torn faces. The contrast between the beauty of the film and the terrible pain contained in the subject matter is masterful storytelling, reminiscent of Herzog's coverage or the Gulf War.

All in all, Faces of War is the perfect kind of coverage for a modern conflict of such historic implications. Brutally honest yet sensitive, technically excellent yet humanitarian to the core, it is an impressive start for Anton Zharov, born of terrible circumstances which he himself toiled to improve.