Wounds : The Scars of the Soul

While 'war' may evoke victory and national honor for some, for many women, it represents an irreversible loss. VIPA takes you on a journey to the Carpathian Mountains to listen to the silent tears in Wounds—a 24-minute short documentary. Avoiding the explicit violence of bullets and guns, the film instead captures the 'shattered reality' of a grief that cuts much deeper.

A rustling tree in a windless calm.

The brilliance of this documentary lies in how it immerses us in a support group of three women who lost their loved ones in the Russia-Ukraine war. We hear Lyubov compare herself to an aspen tree, whose leaves tremble constantly even on a windless day—a reflection of a mother’s lingering premonition and never-ending fear for her son. Meanwhile, Tamara and Svitlana must embrace despair following the burial of their loved ones, struggling to piece back together their shattered lives.

A chronicle of real, agonizing experience.

Behind these intimate details is the work of Ukrainian director Lesya Diak, who understands this pain better than anyone. Having previously partnered with a veteran and faced the reality of PTSD firsthand, her approach goes far beyond traditional interviews. Instead, she fosters deep, healing connections with her subjects—to the point where nature itself seems to weep alongside them.

Wounds does not merely recount stories of death, but instead illuminates 'the power of women' attempting to gather the broken shards of their souls from the ashes of war. This is a profoundly resonant and powerful chronicle; it will make you pause in breathless realization of how deep and painful these invisible scars run. Anyone wishing to touch the core of human spirit and emotional reclamation simply cannot miss this.

▶ Watch the documentary Wounds

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About Author

Poramuth Weerasakthara

An aspiring reviewer who wants to share stories from the voice within.