A House Made of Splinters

[VdR'22] An exciting approach to childhood marked by trauma, separation from parents due to domestic violence or alcoholism. But this center for children located in the now destroyed Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, becomes a zone of emotional stability, even if it has an expiration date. The director takes the point of view of four boys and girls facing an unpredictable future, but it is a look that underlines hope, even if it has finally been destroyed by the sound of bombs.

Difficult to watch, at times, but what you will get is a chance to step silently into an environment that is certainly foreign, in more than one sense, to see and hear these children dumped by parents that are uncaring, unable, or otherwise “unavailable” (like their phone number) and to observe carefree joy and childish troublemaking alternating with deep sorrow. Even trust into these circumstances, children show they are still children, fragile yet resilient. There is no preaching, no narration, just a chance to observe and experience.

"A House Made of Splinters" is not the type of documentary I usually enjoy watching. But it's still interesting, and the topic couldn't be more timely after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is a story about an orphanage in eastern Ukraine, which has been devastated by war since 2014. The film follows several children and their hardships; the protagonists are all sympathetic. Even though there are some happy moments, you shouldn't expect too many glimmers of hope due to the setting. In the end, nothing is sugarcoated here. After all, most of the children don't have any prospects for a better life, even if there might still be some hope.

This documentary is definitely worth watching because of the fascinating subject matter. Personally, however, I found it lacking a central narrative thread that better connected the individual moments. Also, on a visual level, it's not exactly one of the best documentaries I've seen so far. Everything is competently filmed, nothing more. However, I would still give the film a modest recommendation, if only because the children really deserve that you learn about their situation.