Two directorial gazes intersect in “Eastern Front”: that of Vitali Mansky, a well-known documentarian of the former Soviet space, and that of Yevhen Titarenko, a volunteer enrolled in the fight for the liberation of the Ukrainian territory. In between, the film writes the turbulent chronicle of the first months of war, moving from immersion to detachment in the attempt to convey an image of atrocity. In a surreal sequence, a few soldiers walk through a post-apocalyptic landscape, where a herd of cows is left to die in the muddy fields: with a mixture of horror and skepticism, the people take note of the appalling sight and then move on: “That’s life...” A harsh reality asserts itself in “Eastern Front” shot by shot, as the protagonists approach the artillery barrage: they advance towards the enemy defense line with cynicism and self-deprecating humour, leaving us, the viewers, to figure out what normality – as well as humanity - are all about in this war.  (Victor Morozov)