“The Russians are sending cannibals to the front line,” says director of The Great Patriotic Trip
In his latest documentary, The Great Patriotic Trip, director Robin Kvapil traveled to Ukraine with his crew and three pro-Russian civilians who deny the existence of war in the country. Speaking with Czech Radio, Kvapil shared what inspired him to make the film. The Great Patriotic Trip premieres in theaters on August 21.
In order to find his three protagonists, Robin Kvapil placed an advertisement targeting individuals with anti-establishment views who were dissatisfied with the official media coverage of the war. The ad ran in major daily newspapers and resulted in sixty responses.
The search for participants continued on social media, where the director was struck by the number of fake pro-Russian profiles. But the most surprising aspect of directing the documentary was, he said, in Ukraine. In an interview with Czech Radio, he spoke about how deeply the experience affected him:
“For me, it was an experience that will definitely influence me for the rest of my life. The idea is a bit crazy, going to see a war. I'm not a war reporter. I had to go there several times for filming because I was on reconnaissance missions.
“When we went on our second reconnaissance trip with the producer, we were driving past Kyiv just as a children's oncology ward was hit by a rocket. We were there about an hour and a half after the rocket struck. We also saw rocket strikes in Kharkiv. These are things that change you.”
What also motivated the filmmaker was the realization that, when he read or watched the news, the language suggested people had grown accustomed to the conflict. The war no longer stirred emotions in those consuming information about it.
For Kvapil, it was therefore important to expose his three protagonists to the reality of Ukraine as it is now: a place where schools have been relocated to subway stations, and destroyed apartments, hospitals, and mass graves have become all too common.
“The Russians are sending cannibals to the front line; there are soldiers there who are capable of raping children. Russia is constantly attacking the civilian population of Ukraine in a very brutal manner.
“It only dawned on me when I saw it with my own eyes that the brutality is immeasurable. And I think that here in our comfort zone, we have forgotten about it, and it is only through experience itself that one awakens to it. It is difficult to admit this just by watching television.”
The approach of the director was to remove himself from commentary and to stay in the background:
“I chose this approach for filming, to disappear and give as much space as possible to those we are traveling with, because I think that's the right thing to do. At the same time, I don't need to express myself in the situations in the film. I express myself through the film.
“There are things that surprise you. When we were leaving, I was driving the car, we were talking, and Petra, one of our travelers, suggested that they sing, and she started singing the Soviet anthem (laughs). That surprised me. At the same time, as a filmmaker, you're surprised and happy because you know that it makes the film better.”
In all of his and his team’s experience, the director said that nothing could prepare him for what they saw and learned. He hopes that the film can persuade those who are skeptical and indifferent about Russia’s war in Ukraine:
“You can’t really prepare for that in Ukraine. The country is at war, and missiles can fall anywhere. But you have to think about it. You try to be cautious, but you can’t behave in a way that guarantees nothing will happen. That is not possible in Ukraine.”
