Clay Makers Learn to Fight a "Porcelain War"

Title: Porcelain War Director: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev Studio: Picturehouse Genre(s): Documentary Rated: R (For language)

It’s hard to believe that it has been three years since Putin started his unjust war with Ukraine. I remember waking up that morning to the news that Putin had decided that he wanted to be the new world dictator and sent Russian troops into battle to senselessly slaughter Ukrainians. In what was supposed to be an operation that most feared would last just a few weeks, the war has lasted for a few years, with Putin and Russia looking increasingly weaker with each passing day. The fact that Russia wasn’t able to step over the Ukrainians despite their size seemed like a miracle in itself. However, maybe there was more to the Ukrainian spirit than originally perceived.

In “Porcelain War,” we follow a family in Ukraine who spent their life making porcelain art. From their perspective, Putin is specifically targeting Ukrainian culture because he wants to wipe their influence off the face of the Earth. They continue to make their art for the future of Ukraine while they train to become soldiers. As one of the family members says, “Putin is old, and he feels he has nothing to lose. We feel we have everything to lose, and that is why we are willing to die defending our way of life.” While Putin is looking to solidify his legacy, these everyday people are looking to defend their lives.

Two stories are being told here, though, and the film isn’t completely effective at the balancing act. On one hand, it wants to make a case for why art is important even during times of war. On the other hand, the war itself is the more pressing matter, so “Porcelain War” focuses more on the hidden camera footage that has been taken by the subjects of the film as they participate in real, intense battles. While it cannot be denied that this footage is important (and it is some small miracle that these everyday people fought and survived such violent circumstances), it also cannot be denied that the original focus of the movie is lost here.

While this was disappointing, I also must give props to the people who made the film. These are not professional filmmakers. They are simply human beings who decided to document their lives, and the end result is what we see in this film. Though I would have preferred the art receive more attention, the human stories are still very emotional, the battle sequences are tense and draining to watch, and the hope of humanity still remains.

For all the bombs that are dropped, all the guns that are shot, and all the art that is produced, there is nothing as sad as when a father sees his girls for the first time in almost two years. While the danger is real, he agrees to see them just in case the chance never comes again. As he sits there and realizes that a year and a half of their lives have just been taken from him, there is nothing you can do but cry as the evil of war takes something that can never be given back. “Porcelain War” may lose sight of its topic, but it still has the humanity of the victims in its sight.