Experiencing Interruptions?

Symphony Eroica

Viktor, the old man, is confined to his chair: he can’t walk. His daughter, Tetiana, a middle-aged woman, looks at an exhibition of flowers and children’s toys right in the middle of a street in Berlin.

The sounds of war are coming out of nowhere – a drawing of an angel hovering over a city lies on the floor.

It’s all quiet in Berlin. At the Central Station, volunteers distribute food to Ukrainians. People pray for peace in Ukraine.

Viktor, Tetiana, and grandson Oleksandr gather around the table to celebrate Easter. Time passes. The war flashbacks in the grandfather’s mind give him the strength to walk again.

In the middle of the street, the children’s drawings and toys bear witness to the grief and the violence suffered by Ukrainians. Children’s cries and Chopin’s music are in the air. Ukrainians are being united by the impassioned performance of their artists.

  • Oleksandr Kryvets
    Director
  • Oleksandr Kryvets
    Writer
  • Viktor Bezuhlyi
    Key Cast
  • Tetiana Kryvets
    Key Cast
  • Oleksandr Kryvets
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student, Other
  • Genres:
    Social problem film, Socio-philosophical film, Autobiography
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany, Ukraine
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic RAW 4K DCI
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts
Director Biography - Oleksandr Kryvets

Born on June 25, 2001 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Graduated from the children's music school №15 Kharkiv city, as a piano player, teacher T.A. Vvedenska. Continued to study at the Kharkiv Specialized Music School, techer S.I. Zakharova.

In 2019 entered the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts as a film and television director, Vasyl Obraz's workshop.

2021 shoot the first short documentary that was awarded for the best film at Kaniv Film Festival and Cinema&You Film Festival.

2021 became a finalist on the popular TV-show – MasterChef Ukraine.

2022 became TOP-9 on the MasterChef Battle of the seasons.

2022 due to the war in Ukraine he was forced to move to Berlin, Germany.

2022 worked for W&B Television as a DVA-assist on an 8-episode series for Netflix.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I am originally from Ukraine. On 23.02.2022, I flew to Germany to visit some museums and sights of Berlin. The next morning at 04:00 a.m., my phone rang: on the other end of the line, my mother's nervous voice answered – «the war has started, we are under attack». I will never forget these words. From that day on, a new phase in my life began.

I made this film as the summation of my memories and my perceptions of the war I caught abroad. This film is about what happened directly or indirectly to my relatives. Now, all Ukrainians are being united by the impassioned performance of our artists: our children, who paint drawings; our musicians – and all to support our country and our people.

The memorial of flowers and children's toys is getting bigger and bigger every day, and the war in Ukraine is still going on. Tomorrow there will probably be either a new toy or a new child's drawing pulled out from under the rubble of a destroyed multi-storey building. People and children keep on suffering, crying, and screaming for help.

I hope that these cries and wails will make everyone in this world think about the grief that war brings, about the pain and loss that people are experiencing. And that monument to the Soviet soldiers who fell in the war, which my grandfather approached, will continue to remind the world of the cyclical nature of history, of the fear that war brings.