01/04/2025 - In this haunting wartime diary, Alisa Kovalenko balances motherhood and survival, crafting a raw self-portrait from the frontlines for her son

Alisa Kovalenko’s My Dear Théo is a deeply intimate and harrowing account of war, love and survival, framed as a series of letters addressed to her young son Théo. Premiering in the DOX:AWARD competition of this year’s CPH:DOX, the documentary sees the Ukrainian filmmaker-turned-soldier offer a profoundly personal perspective from the frontline, where she fights against Russia’s invasion while simultaneously documenting her own experiences through a raw and unfiltered lens.

Kovalenko, previously known for We Will Not Fade Away [+see also:
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The film’s structure is defined by its letter-like format, allowing the director’s thoughts to flow naturally, unburdened by conventional narrative constraints. These missives to Théo oscillate between raw vulnerability and stoic determination, exposing the conflicting realities of a mother torn between duty and love. Kovalenko’s voiceover, often melancholic and wistful, is punctuated by sequences that showcase the unspoken camaraderie among soldiers. Forced into close quarters, these individuals form new bonds and surrogate families, finding solace in shared experiences amid the ever-present threat of violence.

Cinematically, My Dear Théo is striking in its clarity. Despite the extreme conditions under which it was filmed, Kovalenko manages to compose many visually pristine images, balancing aesthetic sensibility with the immediacy of wartime documentation. Her camera work captures the eerie tranquillity of the battlefield – the long hours of stillness that can be shattered in an instant by the deafening roar of shelling. This temporal fluidity, where time stretches unpredictably between action and stasis, sets My Dear Théo apart from other recent war documentaries, such as Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters to Andriivka [+see also:
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What emerges from My Dear Théo is not just a chronicle of war, but also a testament to resilience. Kovalenko is at once a wife, a mother, a soldier and a filmmaker, embodying multiple identities in a landscape where survival often necessitates the erasure of selfhood. Yet she resists this erasure, affirming her existence and her emotions through her letters and footage. The weight of her longing, particularly in moments where she revisits old, peaceful memories, amplifies the film’s deeply melancholic tone.

A work of both cinematic and human bravery, My Dear Théo stands as an unforgettable documentary that reminds us of what is truly at stake in Ukraine – not just land, but also the lives and hearts of those caught in the conflict.

A Polish-Czech-Ukrainian production staged by Haka Films, My Dear Théo was co-produced by Moon Man, Ji.hlava and JB Films. France’s Stranger Films Sales is handling the pic’s world sales.