The Distant Barking of Dogs

A touching coming-of-age profile set against the backdrop of war, Simon Lereng Wilmont’s documentary follows Oleg Afanasyev and his loving grandmother Alexandra Ryabichkina over the course of three years as they struggle to live a normal life in the tiny village of Hnutove, near the front line of the conflict being waged in eastern Ukraine against Russian-backed separatists who are trying to establish their own republic of Donetsk. Oleg, who was 10 when filming began in 2014, visits his mother’s grave with Alexandra and plays with his younger cousin Yarik in the fields while the sound of artillery shells rumble in the distance. At one point, Yarik and his mother flee westward, but soon return; at another, Alexandra falls ill, and Oleg and Yarik are forced to fend for themselves (a doctor tells the old woman she must simply adapt to the chaos that is exacerbating her anxiety). In classroom scenes, teachers warn their students about the dangers they constantly face. Kostya, an older friend, encourages Oleg to try firing a pistol, leading to a wound from a ricocheting bullet. The Distant Barking of Dogs begins with dashboard footage of a car being blown to bits by an artillery strike (the driver of the vehicle behind it abruptly switches into reverse to avoid the debris) and ends with the sad observation that despite various efforts to establish a cease-fire, the war rages on. A sobering account of the human cost of a mostly forgotten conflict, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)