Go Your Way

When I saw that Ukrainian punk band Death Pill were coming to the United Kingdom, I knew that I wanted to document their tour. Musicians have always responded to war in one way or another and I was interested in how that response would look from the point of view of a punk rock band.

At the time I didn’t know what form this project would take, but I approached the band, who said that they’d be more than happy for me to join them – this was, I think, in part down to the fact that I had a car, which they were keen on utilising to carry half their equipment.

On the first day of filming I was immediately struck by the closeness between the three bandmates; Anastasiia, Mariana and Natalya. It quickly became clear that the connection between them was going to be my focal point and that this was going to be a film centred around friendship.

The filming process was certainly immersive and often involved me and the band sleeping on the floors and sofas of support bands and friends of promoters. It was through this proximity that I saw the complex and often contrasting emotions that they were having to navigate:

They were fulfilling their dream of touring, whilst bearing the weight of responsibility to represent Ukraine and raise awareness of the war; they were three mates enjoying time together after being apart, but were acutely aware that they were on borrowed time; they were experiencing the highs of playing to packed venues, only to wake up the next morning to more awful news from back home.

I was struck by the importance of the band’s friendship in response to these conflicting emotions, and how that bond has been created by and is reinforced through performing their music together. I hope that this comes across in the film, and in turn gives the viewer some comprehension of the pain the band feel in being separated.

I would like people to see this as an alternative account of war, which looks at the impact of war on friendship, a subject that is perhaps often overlooked. This is a story which is specific to these three women, but is also widely experienced in war zones across the world.

Anastasiia, Mariana and Natalya’s lives have been utterly turned upside down and I was blown away by their resilience, determination, honesty and spirit. They are also great company and very funny and so it was important to reflect their character and humour in the tone of the film.

Aside from the war, this is a snapshot of a talented, passionate punk rock band touring some of the UKs loudest and sweatiest independent music venues.