War as I'd never seen it before

Two years ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the documentary Twenty days in MariupolFrom reporter Mstyslav Chernov of the Associated Press. Along with photographer Evgeny Maloletka, they withstood twenty days in this Ukrainian city during the terrible siege by the Russian army. They were the only journalists who documented that hell so the world could see the stark reality of that war. Two years later, the conflict continues, and Chernov updates the cruelty of the conflict, showing the devastation, exhaustion, and despair after so much time. 2000 meters to AndriivkaIn the documentary, available on Filmin, the reporter embeds himself in the Ukrainian army's third brigade as they attempt to recapture the city of Andriivka. They only have to cover two thousand meters: a very narrow strip of forest situated between two minefields. It's the only path and it's essential because it will allow them to cut the road that, until now, has been transporting supplies to the Russian army. It will take them three months to complete it, at a very high cost in lives.

It's not an easy documentary to recommend due to its harshness and cruelty. Chernov maintains the subjective camera approach, not only through his own perspective but also that of the soldiers themselves, who wear helmet cameras. The point of view is almost like that of a video game in which the viewer is integrated into the landscape. However, the real context makes the camera become one of them. The audience, rather than observing, comes to inhabit that war. And, therefore, all the epic narratives that cinema has tried to give to war disappear. If in fiction films the camera is a device that organizes and structures the narrative, here the camera participates in the chaos and horror. There is no distance. Everything is immediate. The sound of breathing and sudden frights are part of the narrative. More than recounting the war, what Chernov achieves is to immerse us in it and make us sharers in the fear and anguish. 2000 meters to Andriivka It also eliminates the clichés and idealization that American war films have constructed. While it may have denounced their cruelty, it operates within spaces and an aesthetic specifically designed for filming. The landscape adapts to the camera. In this documentary, the camera has no choice but to adapt to an environment where the sole objective is to fight and survive. The trenches are unsanitary holes where the protagonists are crammed together amidst garbage and scrap metal. At times, Chernov adds a voice-over that acts as his thoughts and is omniscient—foreshadowing some human losses—a device that adds to the impact. We see the soldiers' optimism and plans in brief conversations that we discover will be cut short. The documentary exudes the pessimism and desolation of the author himself. The nearly two-hour documentary can become long and monotonous. But that's war.