February 21, 2023
FILM: A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS
DIRECTED BY: SIMON LERENG WILMONT
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the surprise nominees for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar this year is A House Made of Splinters. The film, which comes from director Simon Lerent Wilmont, flew a bit under the radar during this heavily campaigned Oscar season. It is also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award though in the same category. I think that the low budget and indie focus is partly what has made it such a celebrated film. It is without all of the bells and whistles that have become associated with documentaries today such as explorations on major celebrities, political figures, or social issues.
A House Made of Splinters is a quiet film that follows the resident children of a temporary shelter in Eastern Ukraine. Each comes from a broken home often filled with alcoholism and/or abuse. Some are waiting for court cases to be solved. Essentially they’re all in need of some kind of guardianship. The shelter itself is only available to them for nine months, after which point they will either be returned to their parents, get placed in foster homes, or be taken over by the state to reside in a longer term orphanage.
The power of the film stems, in part, from Wilmont’s choice to focus on three or four children who have their own unique situations and come across as the most in need and endearing of the bunch. Kolya, for instance, with his floppy hair and pierced ear is tough and rebellious. He hangs with the older guys and secretly heads out to smoke with them. His story and the others’ are often heartbreaking and Wilmont spares no emotional content.
While we do see the children engaged in various activities from dancing, playful fighting, and even telling fortunes, this IS a particularly sad and dark film at times with a pretty heavy mood setting score. There’s not a lot of lightness for viewers but then that does reflect the sorry situation in which these children find themselves. The staff is generally very warm and loving though. The kids also make some very strong bonds with each other that make some of their eventual separations all the more heart wrenching. Yet it’s clear that this is probably the best possible place for each of them in the short run.
One might wonder how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine works into the film. For the most part, it doesn’t. The documentation of life in this shelter was completed in 2021. As such, we aren’t given any updates in the aftermath of the invasion. We do occasionally hear explosions in the distance but their source is not commented upon.
Ultimately though, this is an emotional film which sheds light on a social situation that may not in fact be very different from our own. We end up caring deeply for these children as if they are our own.
A House Made of Splinters debuts today on VOD (Apple TV, Amazon Prime) before a brief theatrical run.
FILM: A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS
DIRECTED BY: SIMON LERENG WILMONT
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the surprise nominees for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar this year is A House Made of Splinters. The film, which comes from director Simon Lerent Wilmont, flew a bit under the radar during this heavily campaigned Oscar season. It is also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award though in the same category. I think that the low budget and indie focus is partly what has made it such a celebrated film. It is without all of the bells and whistles that have become associated with documentaries today such as explorations on major celebrities, political figures, or social issues.
A House Made of Splinters is a quiet film that follows the resident children of a temporary shelter in Eastern Ukraine. Each comes from a broken home often filled with alcoholism and/or abuse. Some are waiting for court cases to be solved. Essentially they’re all in need of some kind of guardianship. The shelter itself is only available to them for nine months, after which point they will either be returned to their parents, get placed in foster homes, or be taken over by the state to reside in a longer term orphanage.
The power of the film stems, in part, from Wilmont’s choice to focus on three or four children who have their own unique situations and come across as the most in need and endearing of the bunch. Kolya, for instance, with his floppy hair and pierced ear is tough and rebellious. He hangs with the older guys and secretly heads out to smoke with them. His story and the others’ are often heartbreaking and Wilmont spares no emotional content.
While we do see the children engaged in various activities from dancing, playful fighting, and even telling fortunes, this IS a particularly sad and dark film at times with a pretty heavy mood setting score. There’s not a lot of lightness for viewers but then that does reflect the sorry situation in which these children find themselves. The staff is generally very warm and loving though. The kids also make some very strong bonds with each other that make some of their eventual separations all the more heart wrenching. Yet it’s clear that this is probably the best possible place for each of them in the short run.
One might wonder how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine works into the film. For the most part, it doesn’t. The documentation of life in this shelter was completed in 2021. As such, we aren’t given any updates in the aftermath of the invasion. We do occasionally hear explosions in the distance but their source is not commented upon.
Ultimately though, this is an emotional film which sheds light on a social situation that may not in fact be very different from our own. We end up caring deeply for these children as if they are our own.
A House Made of Splinters debuts today on VOD (Apple TV, Amazon Prime) before a brief theatrical run.