Harrowing. Watching this made me feel heartbroken and angry. See this if you can bear it.
Although this documentary is harrowing, it should be available free to air across the world for all to see the inhumanity which took place.
WOW! I don‘t even know where to begin to comment on this documentary. The images are gruesome, but you knew it was only a portion of what could have been caught on film. The devastation of Ukraine is unthinkable to a North American culture that has never known modern invasion. One of my first thoughts, as I saw Mariupol as a city that could have been one of our urban cities, was how indiscriminate the bombing was. Domestic, retail, health care or corporate targets, bombed not for strategic military defence but, entirely, to terrorize and subjugate a people. I thought, this is what it would look like if aircraft and artillery bombed my metro - Dartmouth/Halifax or Bedford. Then I thought, what would I, or my neighbours, do under such an assault and threat of further devastation? The graphic human suffering was difficult to see but even in the hour and a half of watching the film I could feel myself becoming desensitized to the brutal images, overwhelmed by the sheer horror. Seeing the footage taken in its timeline, then seeing it broadcast globally as it found its way out of Ukraine, to only be negated by the Russian propaganda machine with lies and disinformation, made me outraged. Throughout, I was struck by the courage of the filmmakers driven by the belief that if the world witnessed what was happening they would act. A belief for which they were willing to die. That alone makes me give this film a 10 (critically important) out of 10. [Historical Documentary]
[Sheffield '23] Although it may raise the debate on the limits of explicit images of war, especially in relation to childhood, this documentary doesn't feel like a sensationalist film but rather an honest reflection of the reality of the chaos experienced by the city of Mariupol, reduced to rubble in just two months. A journalistic work that tries to dismantle the accusations of propaganda (including staging with actors) made by Russia, but which is not reduced to 20 days after the first bombings, but rather reflects the reality of Ukraine today.
There is so much I could say about this documentary, but after rolling the credits I choose to just sit here in silence..
The only time that makes people feel a little happy is to hear the baby's crying, and the rest of the time is all painful to watch.
Douban banned this film in China, great job, friend of Russia.
As Ukrainian, it is really hard to watch and remembering all of this... It's a short film what include only a small piece of our pain... But we should watch it, to remember and never forget. Never again.
Journalists cannot save the world, but they can record its demise.
This heart and gut wrenching documentary about the Russian invasion of Mariupol -- from the announcement of the war to the moment, 20 days later, the journalists escape with their footage and their lives -- will leave no viewer unmoved, nor leave any viewer period.
And to think there are American politicians who are either naive or nefarious enough to revere Putin and other war criminals...
This is truthful, chronological account. There’s no manipulation in editing or narration, spoken by director in a low and somewhat tired voice. Yet this is a difficult, impossible to watch movie. The most powerful message of this movie is what director said in Oscars acceptance speech: “I wish I never got this award, I wish I never made this movie”.
I wouldn't like such a documentary to be made in Ukraine.
This is so hard film to realize, which captures all the horror, even only the first 20 days, that was and is still happening in Mariupol. This is something that will remain in your memory for a lifetime, those shots, those moments, those situations and those people. It's tough to realize all this and perceive it as the reality which the whole of Ukraine is living now.
Watch this movie is a must, because this is exactly this one you need to see, but I wish it didn't exist.
Vomited watching this. Too heavy, must have stomach.
"20 Days in Mariupol" is a harrowing and almost unbearable documentary about the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022. In this movie, journalists document the first 20 days of the siege of the port city of Mariupol. And it is truly terrifying to see the extent of the destruction and suffering of the population in these few days. Nothing is glossed over; mass graves, killed and seriously injured civilians, and piles of corpses are shown. This is not for the faint-hearted, but it is probably necessary to be shown in this way. Because, in between, Russian news snippets are shown, in which the images from Mariupol are presented as Ukrainian propaganda. I think this documentary makes it relatively clear that this is not the case. Even though it is always difficult to evaluate documentaries about ongoing conflicts, "20 Days in Mariupol" is definitely a must-see.
A few questions after watching the film.
Shout by Jonathan YtrebergBlockedParent2023-12-28T16:55:00Z
This should be required viewing for every citizen of Russia right now, even though many will disregard it all as fake.