Traces Review

NOTE: This is a change of pace, both for myself and the site. Exceptionally, I’m leaving my usual horror/science fiction comfort zone and concentrating instead for this review on real horrors inflicted upon real people in the real world.

“I thought no-one cared about me…” – Tetiana Vasylenko

A brief explanation how this came about. I was offered a chance to review the film by a PR company. It’s as far away from my usual type of film as is possible to get. As a rule, I don’t review documentaries of real-life atrocities. But reading about the film, I saw this as something I really SHOULD cover. As I have a platform that has a wide readership around the globe, my conscience wouldn’t sit still if I didn’t try and use it to help to raise awareness and get people talking about this film, directed by Alisa Kovalenko and co-directed by Marysia Nikitiuk.

Traces is a bleak film, and an uncomfortable one to watch, and that is exactly how it should be. The subject matter is the war crimes (let’s call them exactly what they are) committed by the Russian forces in their invasion of the Ukraine. So, this is very recent history, which ultimately makes the film even more unsettling. As the Russians swept in, they would storm into civilian towns and villages, often rousing the occupants from their sleep in the early hours of the morning. They would literally act as they pleased, raping women of all ages, including grandmothers and great grandmothers, taking prisoners, torturing civilians - men, women and children, at whim. Their actions came with no repercussions or consequences on themselves, but they left broken people and shattered lives in their wake.

At the heart of the film is one survivor, Iryna Dovhan a former captive and rape victim turned activist who is a founder of SEMA Ukraine, an organisation that supports victims of conflict related sexual violence. The film follows her as she gathers and documents the testimonies of several women who suffered the depravities inflicted by the invading forces. Their collected stories are grim, showing age to be of no concern to the attackers, whose concerns were to spread domination through terror, shame and humiliation. Many of the testimonies tell how the victims were left with a threat that if they told anyone, they’d be shot.

But this is a story of survival. Of bravery, dignity and an incredible resilience that couldn’t be defeated. The sheer courage shown by Iryna Dovhan and her interviewees in their unwavering solidarity should serve as an inspiration to victims worldwide. And THAT is why this is such an important film. Yes, we who don’t live under the shadow of repression and sexual violence need to be aware of what’s happening, but to listen to the testimonies we hear on Traces is proof that what fails to kill us makes us stronger.

Traces is Ukraine’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards 2027 in both Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature categories.

It is a stunningly well made and harrowing film that needs to be seen far and wide.

Rob Rating = 9