Songs of Slow Burning Earth, on OVID.tv

What do you do when you suddenly find yourself in a war, not of your country’s making? If you are like the Ukrainians, you carry on. You also document the atrocities around you. There have been many documentaries preserving a visual record of the carnage and destruction wrought by Putin’s invasion. Yet, just about each and every one of them finds new and revealing material to mine. From the nation’s perspective, that is probably more of a curse than a blessing. Regardless, Olha Zhurba shows the world what war means to average Ukrainians in her documentary Songs of Slow Burning Earth, which premieres tomorrow on OVID.tv.

Perhaps the most striking sequences incorporate real emergency service calls recorded on the night of the invasion, reporting massive explosions. Imagine what you would do if that happened to your neighborhood. If you were a 911 operator in such a situation, how would you respond?

Although Zhurba employs almost no traditional interview techniques, there are segments that are so moving, they should shame decent viewers. The sight of dozens, maybe even hundreds of provincial Ukrainians kneeling along a winding highway as a fallen soldier is carried to his final resting place, is nothing less than devastating. Did the Queens soldier who recently died from an Iranian attack receive a similar show of respect in New York City?

Yet, there are also inspiring moments, like the celebration arising when the evil Communist hammer and sickle insignia was removed from the monumental Ukraine Motherland Statue. It is an awesome sight, which, as those present passionately argue, now takes on much greater significance for their fellow countrymen.

Admittedly, Zhurba’s unifying theme is rather vague at best. However, she undeniably captures he resilient spirit of Ukrainians. In a closing segment, a Ukrainian teacher asks her students what they want their country to be like in the future. Over and over, they respond with words like “freedom.” For contrast, she juxtaposes an assembly of Russian middle schoolers marching in jackboots. Watch Zhurba’s film and try to explain why we aren’t doing more to support Ukraine. Indeed, anyone who wants to understand the everyday realities for Ukrainians should absolutely watch this documentary. Very highly recommended, Songs of Slow Burning Earth starts streaming tomorrow (9/2) on OVID.tv.