The powerful new documentary “Timestamp” by director Kateryna Gornostai offers a poignant look at the lives of Ukrainian students and teachers as they strive for normalcy amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia. The film immerses viewers in the everyday settings of schools, observing children studying, playing, and learning despite the war raging around them. Gornostai avoids traditional documentary methods like interviews or news footage, instead focusing on an observational approach that captures the resilience and adaptation of Ukraine’s educational system.
The film shows classes being held via Zoom in areas closer to the fighting, students taking shelter during air raid sirens, and even a subway platform transformed into a makeshift classroom. Despite the harsh realities they face, the children in “Timestamp” display remarkable resilience. In one moving scene, a little girl begins to cry upon seeing a photo of her deceased father but soon continues her reading session.
Ukrainian students’ everyday resilience
Teenagers, too, strive to maintain a sense of normalcy by creating TikTok videos and preparing for graduation while also learning survival skills like applying tourniquets and firing rifles. Cinematographer Oleksandr Roshchyn captures these scenes in graceful compositions that highlight the mix of youthful energy and weary resilience, while Alexey Shmurak’s soaring orchestral score adds an epic dimension to the visual storytelling.
The film also reflects the patriotic fervor deeply woven into Ukraine’s education during the conflict, with scenes of students singing national hymns and saluting fallen soldiers. “Timestamp” serves as a reminder that children, no matter where they are, deserve the chance to develop and grow in an environment that fosters innocence. It is an absorbing, hopeful portrait of endurance — of children who continue despite dire circumstances, and of a future where they won’t have to anymore.
The documentary premiered at the 2025 International Film Festival and is currently seeking U.S. distribution.