Harrowing but essential, this ground-zero document of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the vantage point of an Associated Press journalist in the besieged city of Mariupol bluntly reminds us of the humanitarian cost of war.

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Another in an increasingly long line of documentaries about the ongoing war in Ukraine, 20 Days in Mariupol is one of the more high-profile titles from the region that has expectedly earned itself an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. 

A much more compelling work than, say, Mariupolis 2 (2022), which was grindingly monotonous despite the subject matter, 20 Days in Mariupol is Mstyslav Chernov’s ground-zero document of Russia’s invasion of the besieged city of Mariupol, one of the hardest hit cities that suffered widespread destruction and a terrible death toll. 

As an Associated Press journalist, every ounce of Chernov’s bravery is reflected in his camera’s desire to capture the humanitarian cost of war. 

Some of his harrowing and heartbreaking footage was eventually used by international news channels, even when the nearly insurmountable task of sending them with extremely spotty wifi or data coverage threatened to consign the fingerprints of reality to the bin. 

The Kremlin, not surprisingly, denounced it as unethical reportage marked by misinformation and unceremoniously staged by Ukrainian actors. The images, however, whistle a different tune—the suffering, the dead, and the apocalypse naturally authenticate themselves. 

“I woke up from bombings today. And I realised the war started.”

Chernov’s journalistic instincts earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service last year, and this became the foundation of the documentary, which will certainly make the somewhat fading discourse about the Ukrainian war more current. 

20 Days in Mariupol, however, does feel at times a tad too reliant on Chernov’s own melancholy narration—while it is generally unobtrusive and does provide some contextual value, there are moments where I would have preferred not to be told how to feel. 

Obviously, a film like this paints Putin as an unredeemable evil man, and there is no doubt that he ought to be condemned for starting the war. 

The larger historical context, however, suggests that the West/NATO (the real warmongers, particularly the American military-industrial complex) bears equal if not more responsibility for the unnecessary deaths on both sides of the border.

It takes two hands to clap and Ukraine must count herself very unlucky to be positioned as a geopolitical pawn in this very tragic tango that continues to implicate millions of lives.

Grade: B+

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