Alina Gorlova | Ukraine | 2020 | 102' | EN subs

After they fled the war in Syria, the Suleyman family was scattered across the world. Lazgin lives with his family in Ukraine, one of his brothers is in Germany, while a third is in Kurdish Iraq, and a fourth remains in Syria. We follow Lazgin’s son Andriy, who is now a volunteer with the Red Cross and dealing with yet another military conflict, this time in Ukraine. The inescapable reality of war chases him, as he is haunted by doubt whether to escape or resist and help alleviate the suffering on site. His family visits across warzones are interspersed with footage of humanitarian relief efforts, displays of military strength, festive gatherings, and slices of everyday life.

Divided into glitchy chapters, numbered One through Nine before resetting to Zero for the epilogue, which in Arabic stands for the circling nature of infinite, the viewers are made aware of the unstoppable, painful cycle of war and peace, where moments of joy are precious but short-lived.