In the Rearview
Maciek Hamela / Poland, France & Ukraine / 2023 / 84 min
From a simple and minimalistic setup, an entire universe of human stories emerges as a Polish director shuttles to the Ukrainian border to rescue fleeing families from the country.
Three days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Polish director Maciek Hamela decided to buy a van, start evacuating people and document his passengers’ stories in the rear-view mirror along the way. In the back seat, Ukrainian families sit shoulder by shoulder and share their stories. A family mourns the loss of their beloved cow they had to leave behind. A grandmother wipes away tears as she sends her grandchildren on their way. A little girl has stopped talking since a bomb hit nearby. And a young surrogate mum dreams of opening a café. The entire film is shot inside Hamela’s car. But out of the simple and minimalistic setup grows a whole universe of small and big stories that, even after two years of intense news coverage of Russia’s disgusting war, still go straight to your heart. But the Cannes success ‘In the Rearview’ is also a film that practices a humanity that makes it an unforgettable experience.