A Powerful Documentary on Art’s Role in Wartime

Recorded from April to November of 2022, Rule of Two Walls documents the experiences of artists who have stayed in Ukraine in spite of the Russian invasion. From musicians to filmmakers and street artists, the subjects of the documentary primarily express a sentiment of defiance. Of course, there is anger, sadness, and more mixed in, but mostly, they just want to keep going with their lives and work. Defying the expectations placed on a war documentary, Rule of Two Walls is much more about art than the ongoing invasion. It adopts its subjects’ mentality, plowing forward with determination.

The title refers to the safety practice of sheltering in hallways so that there are two walls between you and any potential blasts because so many people had given up going to official shelters. It’s a way of balancing safety and maintaining a level of normalcy, allowing you to stay in your own home as the subjects of this documentary have. To many viewers, it may seem counter-intuitive not to do everything possible to stay safe, which for many means fleeing the country. However, over the course of Rule of Two Walls‘ short runtime, these decisions start to make sense.

The Importance of Discomfort

Rule of Two Walls

3.5/5

Rule of Two Walls is an intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remain in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression. Using live music performance, painting, street art, and the act of filmmaking itself, it illuminates the war’s psychological frontlines: how to go to a restaurant or bar amid the near-constant blare of air-raid alarms and missile strikes; how to process, react and resist, while having to go about the rhythms of daily life. Blurring the lines between what is seen in front of and behind the camera, the film probes what it means to make cinema in a time of war.

Release Date

August 16, 2024

Director

David Gutnik

Runtime

1h 17m

Writers

David Gutnik

Subtitle

In English, Russian and Ukrainian with English subtitles.

Pros

• The film captures heartbreaking but necessary images of war and effectively conveys the importance of art in the face of occupation
• The direction is intelligent but it’s the fascinating and well-spoken subjects which truly elevates the documentary.

Cons

• Portions of the film seem unnecessary, despite it already being very short.

To begin with, it’s hard not to feel immensely uncomfortable watching this doc. Cutting between an art installation with attendees chatting and drinking wine and footage of burning bodies creates tension and uncertainty. If that’s what’s going on so close by, how can anyone prioritize art? Are we supposed to celebrate this or condemn it as insensitive? But, no immediate answers are given.

One of the interesting aspects of Rule of Two Walls‘ style is that we aren’t often told what we’re seeing. The narration and dialogue come in the form of people telling their stories and discussing the role art plays in their lives — particularly in relation to the war. This means that the gruesome images of bodies and gutted homes are usually context-less. Again, this raises discomfort because so much more attention and discussion is given to art than to the more urgent aspects of the war.

It’s easy to turn this critical gaze on ourselves and our own habits. Looking toward art for comfort, distraction, or even explanation in the face of horror is nothing new, but it might not always be the right answer. The first act of this documentary presents an ambiguous view of the role of art in conflict. On the one hand, this raises interesting questions and invites introspection, but on the other, it may not serve the purpose of the documentary effectively. Perhaps the slight bait and switch was intentional, but if not, we are somewhat led down the wrong path at first.

A Stand-Out Interview Clarifies the Russian Invasion

Around halfway through, however, the documentary’s thesis starts to take clearer shape thanks to a particularly engaging interview. An artist who chose to remain anonymous spoke to the filmmakers about art, religion, and culture in a fascinating and clear way. She crystallizes the relationship between Putin’s assault on Ukraine and culture wonderfully, saying “When Putin says we have no culture, he means we have no nation,” because, “Culture is an action and product of a people.” Additionally, she says:

“No war can deprive us of our cultural heritage and traditions. A lot of people turn to traditions even if they rejected them before… The ritual [making Easter decorations] is more connected with Ukranian culture than religion in my mind.”

Through her words, it suddenly becomes clear that because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just about land but an attempt to erase Ukrainian culture, artists continuing to create under these circumstances is an essential form of rebellion. In this way, Rule of Two Walls is less of a documentary about the war and more about the act of creation of art and, in turn, culture. While bombs may destroy infrastructure and housing, artists are rebuilding the nation in a different way.

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Putin Proves Himself Wrong

Later, we spend some time with a woman restoring the interior of a building that had been whitewashed with chalk to cover all adornments and embellishments during the USSR’s occupation. This is another particularly illuminating segment as it creates a connective line through Ukraine’s history of occupation and the erasure of its culture, past and present. The expansion of Russian territory has always necessitated the destruction of another culture, whether Putin acknowledges its existence or not. (See also: Israel’s expansion).

Additional sequences show an art museum with barren walls and huge groups of people covering up monuments with sandbags in order to protect them from potential blasts. While these are protective and preventative measures, it still goes to show the effect on art and culture that the war is having. These moments help to recontextualize earlier scenes celebrating exhibitions that felt almost distasteful in the face of so many deaths. They weren’t just social gatherings, they were essential acts of resistance against attempts to wipe out their culture.

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Ultimately, Rule of Two Walls proves that Putin’s words act as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. How can he declare that Ukrainian culture does not exist when he is actively targeting it? Similarly, the very act of making a documentary bolsters the artists of Ukraine, and it would have done so even if it were not about them. This is a powerful and important piece of work even if the majority of its message is conveyed in a couple of short segments, with the rest not adding a great deal. When the mission here is to preserve and uplift the artists of a country who are under fire, it’s hard to argue that anyone should be cut out.

Rule of Two Walls will open in NY at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema on August 16, with a wider roll out to follow. It will be available on digital platforms in November.