Timestamp

The Ukrainian competition entry Timestamp chiefly made headlines due to director Kateryna Gornostai giving birth just two days prior to the film’s premiere in Berlin (therefore missing its press conference), practically underlining her core question of the legacy we leave our children.

Without additional commentary, the two-hour-long documentary tours various schools in different parts of Ukraine during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Some of them have opted for virtual classes, revealing that a lack of (uniform) equipment in each home has made physical education one of the greater challenges. Other schools stand strong against daily bomb alerts and try to cling to a sense of normalcy, keeping their doors open for in-person teaching. The film also takes viewers to school buildings that have fallen victim to Russia’s course of destruction, or addresses teenagers’ plans to enlist come graduation.

As the feature forgoes a more traditional approach of adding voice-over or interviews to contextualise the footage and the way it is strung it together, some of the material can feel indistinct, lacking in a clear focal point. There are scenes that make anyone’s blood run cold – children being taught not to play with teddy bears that have missiles attached to them – that clearly seek to address those still apathetic to the terrors going on in the midst of Europe, and rightfully so. However, the movie’s most resonating material is sometimes sandwiched between less expressive segments, making for a somewhat unbalanced flow and pacing.

Despite their obvious efficacy, one also has to address that repeated zoom-ins on crying children have an exploitative air to them; in one instance, the presence of a camera clearly agitates a distraught girl further. In another, a teacher uses a young student’s bereavement as a motivating factor (“Show your dead Dad how well you can read!”), which leaves a questionable connotation to the film’s intent to celebrate these children’s resilience.

True to its title, Strichka chasu offers a snapshot of the time these events are occurring in, and just like a timestamp marks a moment that can’t be erased, what these young people are made to experience will leave an indelible mark on their future and who they grow up to be.

Selina Sondermann

Timestamp does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.