Bodies (of War)

Directed by

Małgorzata Szumowska

A documentary that uses a multi-narrative structure focused on the physical body's response to the invasion of Ukraine. The first plotline follows wounded soldiers at the Superhumans rehabilitation center in Lviv. The narrative charts their physical recovery, tracking the painful process of healing and learning to operate advanced prosthetic limbs. The second storyline centers on Dana Vitkovska, a transgender Ukrainian artist and performer exiled in Warsaw. Her journey explores identity transition, the trauma of displacement, and the reclamation of her body through dance. The final narrative thread follows the artistic collective Open Group. The artists translate the violence of warfare into physical performance, capturing refugees as they reproduce the raw, terrifying sounds of bombings using their own voices and body language.