By Winnie Wang

In his follow-up to Mariupolis (2016), the late Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius returns to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol to document the devastating effects of the 2022 Russian invasion as it unfolds. Composed entirely of verité footage, Mariupolis 2 follows a group of displaced citizens who struggle for survival in abandoned houses and the basement of a church. Between horrifying testimonies that describe a neighbour’s disfigured body projected onto a rooftop and a collapsed theatre with children inside, the film drifts from location to location, each one littered with debris and haunted by the departed. When the camera retreats from scenes of devastation, offscreen sounds of explosions in the distance and overhead missiles intervene to underscore the unrelenting violence.

The assembled scenes are rough and disjointed, which risks alienating some viewers, but will remind others of the conditions under which Kvedaravičius worked and Mariupol residents lived: “That’s my situation,” a phrase repeated by one man as he surveys his crumbling house in old age, encapsulates the spirit of the film. Mariupolis 2 is a compilation of snapshots that seeks to observe and present everyday actions, from rationing salt to claiming the unused generator of a dead neighbour. In the abrupt conclusion, it’s revealed that Kvedaravičius died on March 30, 2022, a fact that will inevitably extend beyond the frame to shape discussions about the film’s unpolished, wandering quality. Ultimately, though, Kvedaravičius’ career ends on a high note, his fourth and final film a valuable object that testifies to the courage and resilience of his subjects. 

Winnie Wang