Movie

Photophobia

2023 · 71 min

A quiet, claustrophobic immersion into children's resilience under siege, blending documentary realism with tender moments of hope.

Directed by: Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský
Genres: Documentary, Drama
Starring: Nikita Tyshchenko, Viktoriia Mats, Yana Yevdokymova

Overview: On a cold February morning, 12-year-old Niki and his family arrive at the Kharkiv metro station to take shelter from the terrifying war raging outside. For Niki's family, daylight is synonymous with mortal danger, and the boy is not allowed to leave the station premises, living under the constant glow of their neon lights. While aimlessly wandering around the abandoned cars and full platforms, Niki meets Vika (11), and a new world opens up to him. As their bond strengthens, the children find the courage once again to feel the sun on their faces.

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True Story
DocAlliance Films

More options Data from JustWatch

Directed by: Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský
Genres: Documentary, Drama
Starring: Nikita Tyshchenko, Viktoriia Mats, Yana Yevdokymova

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: bleakstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: war
survival
family
friendship
trauma
Places: big city
single country house
Era: contemporary
Audience: teen
Form: true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	3
Humour	2
Realism	9
Romance	1
Tension	6
Darkness	7
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	8

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream

True Story
DocAlliance Films

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: documentary, drama
Directed by: Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský
Written by: Ivan Ostrochovský, Marek Leščák, Pavol Pekarčík
Starring: Nikita Tyshchenko, Viktoriia Mats, Yana Yevdokymova, Yevhenii Borshch, Anna Tyshchenko, Vitaly Pavlovitch, Tatiana Valentynovna
Music: Roman Kurhan, Michal Novinski
Cinematography: Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský
Runtime: 71 min
Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine
Languages: Russian, Ukrainian

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Photophobia

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