Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods

A seriously impressive documentary film from the Ukraine Russian war focusing on a group of soliders. This reminded me a bit of the Ross Kemp in Afghanistan series using lots of body cam footage to show you the soliders perspective of tge fighting. It avoids interviews with generals and MPs and instead focuses squarely on the soliders. The beautiful forests provide a haunting backdrop to all the killing while soliders in WWI style bunkers launch drones to seek out and destroy their enemies. Feelings approaching hate seem to be all we really see towards the other side, only the Medic at the end seems open to the idea she can see the other side differently. Captured prisoners seem to reveal their motive in joining the invasion comes down to money. No mercy is shown during the fighting and it's very brutal and raw to watch. Of course no TV programme or film can ever show you the true feelings of adrenalin and fear from war but this is a very good production. One or two small objections I have are some of the use of music seemed to me unnecessary, also despite being told it was all filmed on body cams by soliders are the start it's clearly not, the cinematography is far too good in some of the sequences. It's not until the end credits you see actually most of the production team actually seem to have been British. At least though it doesn't have a narrator like Ross Kemp doing voiceover for it but does try to allow it to speak for itself.

This is an unadulterated first person view into the lives of soldiers and a medic on the front lines in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces. Using GoPro cameras and brief interviews off the front line, a unit of Ukrainian soldiers gives a first hand account of life on the front lines in the Russian attack on Ukraine. It's a brutal experience that leaves the soldiers on both sides scarred, injured or dead.

While watching this I kept thinking why are these soldiers expending an ounce of extra energy at the risk of their own personal safety to show the world what life is like on their battlefront. I can only imagine it's that important to get this message out - Don't forget your brothers in Ukraine!

Fundamentally, war is always dehumanising, a licence to do things normally beyond the pale. 'Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods' follows a group of Ukrainian soldiers as they "heroically" risk their lives to repell the Russian invaders. Their cause is just, their willingness to sacrifice admirable; but the daily business of being a soldier is a grim one, even if the killing is now done as often by drone as by machine gun. It's sometimes said that there is no such thing as an anti-war movie, but this documentary is so unvarnished that it's hard to love its protagonists, and easier perhaps to feel sympathy for the men they are trying to kill. If Putin had a conscience there'd be a lot weighing on it.

Enemy in the Woods, in a way, this was a more effective documentary for me than ''20 days in..'' This is raw, to the point, and is not afraid of showing true current day war, with all it's modern day terrors. It doesn't really get more real than this. It's as close to being sent out to the frontline yourself you can get.

Most of the documentary is filmed through the recordings of high quality bodycam footage from almost all soldier in the squad/battalion we are following. Some cuts in between switch between them on the field, and them back in base reflecting and talking about their experience. But also talking about Ukraine and it's future. The enemy, and more.

This documentary gives a unrelenting look into modern day warfare, from artillery, to detecting drones, to flying drones, to dropping bombs. To the shift of warfare that we've known. Bodies are scattered all over the forest. Enemies are just a minute away. Always feeling like at any time one could be behind a tree, hiding. It's the most current account of warfare in this day and age. One side that fights with precision and care for live. The other, that sends in wave after wave.

Disturbing images are present, as it should be, so this is not for the faint, but it must be watched, just as ''20 days...'' must be.

This is as up close in personal as it gets. We had footage of World War II and Vietnam, but black-and-white and very grainy. Now soldiers have 1080P up close and personal in graphic battles.

We're following Frontline soldiers in the forest on the border of Ukraine and Russia. Up close AK-47 battles, building dugouts, avoiding drones, while also launching drones, the battles are so close they almost look fake, but then you see the bullet wounds in high resolution, and your brain cannot process this.

Dead bodies litter the battlegrounds. Despite how you feel about funding this war or that war. You can't deny this is some of the most realistic documentary footage you've ever seen.