Intercepted

Of all the films to come out of Ukraine over the past few years, this one stands out for its rigour, its visual restraint and eloquence, and the sheer horror it imparts. Director Oksana Karpovych juxtaposes shots of broken buildings, bombed out roads and bridges, scarred landscapes, with a soundtrack consisting of intercepted messages from Russian soldiers to their loved ones — their mothers, wives, girlfriends and children. In these phone calls (dating from 2022), the men repeatedly marvel at the standard of living enjoyed by their hated enemy, give the lie to Putin’s propaganda about the state of the campaign, and casually confess to (in some cases, boast of) widespread looting, murder, and the torture of civilians. This is a sober and chilling film. There’s no on-screen gore, but the brutality of these conversations is enough to make anyone doubt their humanity.

Unfortunately due to illness, the previously scheduled Q&A has been cancelled.

Essential… In little more than an hour and a half [Intercepted] provides an education into the experience of the continuing atrocity with which only the most detailed journalistic accounts can compete.

Kyle Smith, The Wall Street Journal

Powerful… A haunting, often jolting depiction of the profound toll that the war has exerted on soldiers and civilians alike.

Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

A work of chilling stillness… [Intercepted] points its microphone unflinchingly at the darkest parts of the human soul, while forcing the viewer to hold the camera and search for the brutality within its images and empty spaces.

Grade: A, Siddhant Adlakha, Indiewire

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