Long echo

“Long echo” – does it refer to the explosion not far from the town? Or to the time when people searched for a new idea for their country? Or is it rather the long echo of Soviet mentality that led to this bloody conflict? The film portrays the town Dobropolye, in Eastern Ukraine – 70 km from the border with the breakaway republics – and some of its people against the backdrop of the war. The characters are inventive and gripping despite their many hardships: they set up a singles club, build a zoo with chameleons, play in a heavy metal band and drive a taxi. The film shows a region that was on our minds for many months, not only in Europe. It shows people on the periphery of the war, how it changed their daily lives and how people react to both their new and old needs. Their struggle for survival is sometimes marked by quirky moments that give the film an unexpected lightness. The two directors Veronika Glasunowa and Lukasz Lakomy started with the preparations for the movie long before the war. This enabled them to build a relationship of trust which endured in wartime, and it helped them obtain extraordinary insights.