The war in eastern Ukraine has divided families and caused many people to fall into darkness and addiction. Children whose parents are unable to take care of them are now waiting in an institution near the battle lines for a decision on their future.

The film fully reveals the consequences of parental failure, which forces children to make adult decisions. Often the goal of the institute’s residents is not to get back to their parents, but rather to make the best possible impression on potential foster parents and thus avoid a state orphanage. This moving documentary follows stories in which the main aspects of childhood are erased. At the same time, however, it depicts the power of relationships, both with caregivers and with other children with traumatic family experiences. The film, in which Danish director Simon Lereng Wilmont revisits eastern Ukraine, received the award for best director in its category at Sundance 2022.