Documentary Editor, Awards
How Russia Prepared for Ukraine's Counteroffensive | WSJ
Maciek Hamela’s Oscar-nominated documentary In the Rearview hits video-on-demand platforms this weekend. It’s a gripping portrait of Ukrainian civilians fleeing for their lives in the early days of the massive Russian invasion.
Polish-born Hamela is both a filmmaker and, in a sense, a participant in the documentary, though he is rarely seen on camera. After the brutal attack on Ukraine began, he bought a second-hand van and drove it to Ukraine, ferrying young, old and everyone in between to safety across the Polish border. He eventually installed a camera in the van, which recorded his passengers in real time as they processed the utter disruption of their lives.
"That simple vantage point, along with roadside scenes of pickup trucks and drop-off points, captures the moments when ordinary life ended and the deadly chaos of the Russian invasion began," New York Times reviewer Nicolas Rapold, who gave In the Rearview a Critic's Pick designation, noted Friday. "[T]he van passes checkpoints, burned-out cars and gutted buildings, steering clear of mined roads and bombed-out bridges. But the van provides a safe space where passengers can talk about who and what they've left behind, sleep or simply sit in silence."
