A Ukrainian family of four on vacation in the Canary Islands become refugees overnight when Russia’s ongoing occupation of Ukraine turns into a full-scale invasion, in Damian Kocur’s tense and timely sophomore feature.
At the foot of Mount Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife, a Ukrainian family of four including father Roman (Roman Lutskyi), stepmother Anastasiia (Anastasiia Karpienko), teenage daughter Sofiia (Sofiia Berezovska), and young Fedir (Fedir Pugachov) are on vacation. Enjoying their final beach day, they are blissfully unaware that, soon, their return flight to Kyiv will be cancelled and Russian bombs and rockets will fall on their country.
On February 24, 2022, Russia’s ongoing occupation of their peaceful neighbour escalated into a full-scale invasion and, overnight, these tourists have become refugees. While frantically awaiting news from home they, the lucky ones as some might say, are left wondering what to do and where to go.
Meanwhile, the world keeps spinning; the sun is bright, the sea is blue, and they are surrounded by happy-go-lucky families enjoying the idyllic Canary Islands. We gain insight about the dynamics through Sofia’s Generation-Z perspective, sinking into the group’s inner guilt and their paradoxical issues with the safe place in which they — for now — have refuge. Quickly, the most fraught aspects of the clan bubble to the surface and, like the nearby volcano, dormant conflicts threaten to explode anew.
Shot by Nikita Kuzmienko and co-written by Marta Konarzewska and director Damian Kocur, Under the Volcano is the second feature for Kocur, following Bread and Salt, which garnered the Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti programme of the 2022 Venice Film Festival. Already a master of tension, Kocur’s timely and acute scope makes this a must-see.
DOROTA LECH
Screenings
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 4
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 10