November 16, 2023
FILM: SEARCHING FOR NIKA
DIRECTED BY: STANISLAV KAPRALOV
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
War sucks. I hate to be so crass but without a doubt it is one of our species’ greatest downfalls and it is happening in more than one part of the world right now. With all of the destruction we sometimes forget about the truly innocent in all of this: the animals. In the new documentary Searching for Nika, Filmmaker Stanislav Kapralov sets out on a journey to find his parents’ beloved pet dog Nika who jumped out of the car as the family was attempting to escape the Russian invasion of Kyiv and its surrounding areas.
Going back just weeks into the war, Kapralov encounters the many horrors left in its aftermath. He encounters destroyed roads, bridges, shops, and burned out houses. Streets are dangerously filled with mines. There are dogs wandering those streets that were left behind during the escape but Nika is nowhere to be found. Still, Kapralov continues on his quest.
He is led to a number of places where many animal communities have been sorely effected by bombings and soldier attacks. One of the first is a shelter where a large number of rescued dogs are stressed, anxious, and malnourished. Another is a farm that lost half of its many animals during the invasion. Kapralov also records one of his treks to the Poland border with a volunteer who is attempting to bring a lion to a zoo. We witness their frustration at having to wait for 12 hours to cross into the country. Eventually, Kapralov must return to Ukraine to further his attempts to find Nika. Unfortunately, he continues to encounter other scenes of destruction involving horses at a stable and reindeer in another local farm.
Yes, as you can imagine, it’s all pretty sad to see the horrific nature of what is left behind during such atrocities. The images of many dead ostriches and other farm animals is sickening to witness. What stands out about the film though is the fighting spirit of the volunteers and veterinarians who risk their own lives to save so many of the still alive animals. Many are rehabilitating the wounded while bombs continue to explode outside.
Searching for Nika is just one of many eye-opening documentaries of late (20 Days in Mariupol, In the Rearview) that are playing at festivals revealing the personal stories of Ukrainian people who have been bombarded by pain and suffering in the past two years. It’s extremely important for us to see these stories as it brings us closer to the utter destruction found in wars that perhaps we’ve never experienced on camera before. This isn’t just world history it is a continuing series of current events.
Searching for Nika is playing as part of DOCNYC. It is available to be streamed via the festival’s site until November 26th. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.docnyc.net/film/searching-for-nika/
FILM: SEARCHING FOR NIKA
DIRECTED BY: STANISLAV KAPRALOV
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
War sucks. I hate to be so crass but without a doubt it is one of our species’ greatest downfalls and it is happening in more than one part of the world right now. With all of the destruction we sometimes forget about the truly innocent in all of this: the animals. In the new documentary Searching for Nika, Filmmaker Stanislav Kapralov sets out on a journey to find his parents’ beloved pet dog Nika who jumped out of the car as the family was attempting to escape the Russian invasion of Kyiv and its surrounding areas.
Going back just weeks into the war, Kapralov encounters the many horrors left in its aftermath. He encounters destroyed roads, bridges, shops, and burned out houses. Streets are dangerously filled with mines. There are dogs wandering those streets that were left behind during the escape but Nika is nowhere to be found. Still, Kapralov continues on his quest.
He is led to a number of places where many animal communities have been sorely effected by bombings and soldier attacks. One of the first is a shelter where a large number of rescued dogs are stressed, anxious, and malnourished. Another is a farm that lost half of its many animals during the invasion. Kapralov also records one of his treks to the Poland border with a volunteer who is attempting to bring a lion to a zoo. We witness their frustration at having to wait for 12 hours to cross into the country. Eventually, Kapralov must return to Ukraine to further his attempts to find Nika. Unfortunately, he continues to encounter other scenes of destruction involving horses at a stable and reindeer in another local farm.
Yes, as you can imagine, it’s all pretty sad to see the horrific nature of what is left behind during such atrocities. The images of many dead ostriches and other farm animals is sickening to witness. What stands out about the film though is the fighting spirit of the volunteers and veterinarians who risk their own lives to save so many of the still alive animals. Many are rehabilitating the wounded while bombs continue to explode outside.
Searching for Nika is just one of many eye-opening documentaries of late (20 Days in Mariupol, In the Rearview) that are playing at festivals revealing the personal stories of Ukrainian people who have been bombarded by pain and suffering in the past two years. It’s extremely important for us to see these stories as it brings us closer to the utter destruction found in wars that perhaps we’ve never experienced on camera before. This isn’t just world history it is a continuing series of current events.
Searching for Nika is playing as part of DOCNYC. It is available to be streamed via the festival’s site until November 26th. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.docnyc.net/film/searching-for-nika/