CIFF ’25: My Dear Theo

Russia has deliberately targeted Ukrainian artists and filmmakers, like Oleg Sentsov, but maybe that strategy backfired in the case of filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko. After the Russians arrested, interrogated, and detained Kovalenko while she was filming the illegal Donbas invasion in 2014, she resolved to enlist and defend her country if Putin were to invade the rest of Ukraine, which he did. At that point, considered herself a soldier rather than a filmmaker, but she inadvertently made a film anyway, thanks to her video diaries and video letters to her son. Ultimately, she incorporated that footage into her latest documentary. Their separation is difficult for her as a mother, but she fights for his future, as she explains in her documentary, My Dear Theo, which screens this Friday at the 2025 Camden International Film Festival.

In a way, this film started back in 2014, just like the war, but everyone outside of Ukraine simply hoped it would go away if they ignored it. Of course, that only made things worse. Through family connections, her husband took Theo and his mother to safety in France, leaving Kovalenko to fight—but that is exactly what she wanted.

Initially, Kovalenko and her comrades are on the march outside Kharkiv—until they suddenly stop. Clearly, her unit is accustomed to the constant shelling. There certainly seems to be good chemistry between them all, which makes the final rollcall of the fallen soldiers seen in the film such a slap in the face.

Kovalenko incorporates some battle scenes, but it really isn’t an embedded combat documentary like 2,000 Meters to Andriivka. This is a very personal statement from Kovalenko that often eloquently explains why she took up to defend her country. Sometimes, the extremely personal POV limits its effectiveness as a film to rally global public opinion. Nevertheless, it starkly establishes the stakes for Kovalenko and her fellow soldiers.

Frankly, some of the film’s seemingly incidental moments turn out to be some of its most devastating. A case in point comes when Kovalenko explains why so many cows wander near the front. They too fled the destruction wrought by Russian invaders, but the Ukrainian soldiers do not have the time or expertise to properly milk them, so the animals are suffering. Poor cows.

It is good for history that Putin’s illegal invasion has been so well-documented. Yet, he and his yes men have yet to pay any really meaningful price for their war crimes. Kovalenko documents the repercussions for averages Ukrainians in extremely personal terms, which any reasonable viewer should be able to relate to. Recommended for its honesty and its very individual perspective, My Dear Theo screens Friday (9/12) at this year’s CIFF.