An uncompromising documentary sure to remain etched in your memory offers a shocking account of the eponymous city's destruction from the sole journalist who remained there until the end. Mstyslav Chernov, who risked his life to record Russian war crimes and the daily grind of Mariupol residents, offers not a reporter's record of events, but a piercing, passionate documentary indictment. At the same time, this is full-fledged cinema, made with impressive formal discipline. It is a rare film that generates such tension, from the first minutes to the finale, which reveals how the filmmaker managed to extricate this explosive material from the occupied zone. Few filmmakers can show the merciless cruelty of war with such impact. But Chernov and his crew don't labour for shock value. They intend to leave a testimonial and shake the conscience of the world. This film contains scenes intended for adult viewers only. 

Konrad Wirkowski

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