A Poem for Little People
Ivan Sautkin / Ukraine, Lithuania & United Kingdom / 2023 / International Premiere / 83 min
The unlikely but close friendship of two elderly women brings to life a cinematic poem about courage and resistance during wartime, while a young man and his team of volunteers struggle to get people away from the frontline in Eastern Ukraine.
Rebellion can take many forms. And all resistance is resistance. The conclusion is clear in ‘A Poem for Little People’, which is told in two parallel tracks. In one, we follow on the heels of the young, stoic Anton. He leads a team of volunteers travelling around the eastern Ukrainian frontline, trying to evacuate the vulnerable but reluctant residents who have yet to leave the war-torn wasteland. The second track visits two elderly women who have stayed behind on the frontline to practice their own quiet resistance. The pragmatic Zinaida stands by her window and writes on a pad every time a Russian military vehicle rolls by, before sending the information to the Ukrainian military. Meanwhile, dreamy Taisia writes manipulative poems to Russian soldiers as her contribution to the rebellion. The interplay between the two tracks works brilliantly, and together they evolve into a film poem about the need for hope, memory and culture in the midst of a humanitarian state of emergency. A vivid reminder that small acts can often accomplish great things.