When a documentary about the struggle in Ukraine is being released at the time like this, it is natural to assume that it would be about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, director Lesia Diak's Dad's Lullaby reveals the shocking truth that things in Ukraine weren't any better before the February invasion promulgated by Vladimir Putin. The documentary, set in 2018, tells the story of Serhiy, who, after two long years of battle, is trying to make up for the lost years by reconnecting with his family. Lesia, who was in a relationship with a soldier, confesses to finding it hard to stay in a relationship after a war. She says, "I needed time to get mentally prepared to work on a documentary that carries a semblance of my life. Only when I could come out of my personal tragedy, was I able to work on it. I at least had the privilege to access a psychologist. But Serhiy didn't get a chance to work on his mental health which eventually led to his separation from his family."
On whether discussions about war and conflict constantly featured at the Ukrainian dinner table after the nation's independence in 1991, she replies, "Not just the past 30 years since our independence, Russia has been trying to capture Ukraine for several centuries. Not just Ukraine, Russia also tried to usurp the powers of its neighbouring nations like Moldova. It has meddled in the Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict. I have even lost some of my ancestors to the famine orchestrated by Russia. The friction between Ukraine and Russia reached a crescendo when we clearly wanted to go the Western way, the democratic way, during the 2004-05 Orange Revolution. Russia grew more resentful of Ukraine after that and got more violent. The Crimean annexation of 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022 were the results of that ever-growing resentment of Russia towards us. So, the conversations about war and conflict are constant in Ukraine."
Dad's Lullaby was shot in a span of three years. During the filming, Lesia expected a happy ending, but that was not to be. "I wanted the family to stay together; I didn't want them to separate. Even Serhiy couldn't show enough love or carry the responsibility of a father. That's the emotional impact of war. As Serhiy would have said, he felt overburdened as he had to play the role of a protector both in the war and family. So, he let go of his familial responsibilities. He is still taking care of the financial needs of his kids and ex-wife, who have fled to Canada," says Lesia.
The film gave equal or more focus to Serhiy. He plays with his kids at times and treats them harshly at other times. When asked how she handled these portions given the amount of sensitivity required, she responds, "I used to shift the camera elsewhere when Serhiy hit his elder child. As I said earlier, Serhiy couldn't work on his mental health. He goes through what is called re-traumatisation in psychology. Serhiy feels a lot of anger after being on the battlefield, and he shows it to the oldest child. The eldest child then becomes the tyrant to his younger siblings. This is how unresolved anger gets passed on." On why the dialogue portions were shot in an unconventional manner, the filmmaker reveals "I wanted to capture his eyes. I wanted a humanistic approach to overtake my adherence to shot compositions. I just wanted to give him my full attention."
On what stopped her from explicitly calling out Russia and if she has plans to do so in the future, she replies in a sensible manner, saying, "I want to make artistic films. There is no necessity to explicitly call Russia a terrorist state. Through Dad's Lullaby, I only wanted to convey the emotions. Serhiy losing his personal happiness to protect his country drives home the point. Moreover, I was taught to love, not to hate. I grew up with humanistic values." Adding how Ukraine as a nation evolved in the past 15 years, she says, "We were quite naive about Russia's big ambitions over a decade ago. We didn't heed the warnings of our soldiers about Russia. It was the 2022 invasion that taught us the nasty things humans are capable of. Now we are hopeful, assertive and strong."
The filmmaker signs off with a message to India and the rest of the world. She says, "India is very similar to Ukraine in terms of resisting colonialism. Ukraine too, just like India, wouldn't want to be a colony today. In order to understand what is going on with us, I suggest people watch more documentaries and go beyond the usual news stories. I also hope Russians understand that supporting the dictatorial ambitions of their leader is not necessarily patriotic."
