March 2024 blog post – Short Reflections on Some Recently Released Movies: Old and New Trauma(s)

Author: Mihály Lakatos

In the past year, several movies have been premiered, offering particularly rewarding opportunities for analysis from the perspective of trauma(s). In this blog post, I aim to reflect on some of these movies, exploring how trauma is portrayed (and sometimes processed), the cinematic tools employed by the filmmakers, and the significance of these movies in the context of contemporary reality.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (dir. Anna Hints, 2023)

The Estonian film director’s debut documentary portrays a group of women who gather in a traditional smoke sauna and “cleans” themselves both physically and mentally. In the dark, intimate, and safe space of the sauna, women share their most personal (and often deeply traumatic) experiences, “cleansing” themselves of trauma and finding empowerment through a sense of community. The harrowing and traumatizing aspects of being a woman are reflected in the stories told, such as illness, rape, infidelity, body dysmorphic disorder, childbirth and post-natal depression.

Hints’ camera does not assume the role of a voyeur; instead, it enables viewers to connect with the women in the steamy space by frequently focusing not on the woman speaking, but on those listening to her. This approach not only fosters a psychosomatic experience but also conveys the impression of a universal female experience. Personal trauma is manifested at a collective level, and perhaps also mitigated.

The movies biggest virtue is perhaps that it presents universal narratives related to the female biological and social gender through a traditional Eastern-European/Post-Soviet milieu. This is significant because recent events following the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan have underscored the limitations of imposing Western-style feminism without regard for local cultural nuances. Blindly adopting such approaches can not only prove ineffective but can also perpetuate a form of cultural colonization (see Ruhi Khan’s article on the topic).

The Zone of Interest (dir. Jonathan Glazer, 2023)

Hannah Arendt’s phase, “the banality of evil” is mentioned in almost every review, interview and article discussing Glazer’s new feature film. Arendt’s phase describes her observation of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi official who played a key role in organizing the Holocaust. Arendt argued that Eichmann’s actions were not driven by inherent malice but by a willingness to conform to societal norms and bureaucratic orders without questioning their morality. Arendt’s concept underscores how regular individuals can commit heinous acts within oppressive systems, stressing the significance of critical thinking and moral accountability in addressing injustice.

Glazer’s film is in fact is a cinematic representation of Arendt’s concept. It focuses on the (idyllic) life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), who live with their family in a home next to the (horrors of the) concentration camp. As we witness their birthday parties, tea parties, hikes and casual conversations, the background noise of the death camp lurks, occasionally interrupted by distant gunshots and screams. Despite the haunting presence of the camp, the Höss family carries on, everyone is doing their job to the best of their ability, whether it’s systematically executing masses or building a dream home.

The Holocaust has been explored through film from various perspectives and approaches, yet Glazer still succeeds in offering fresh insights into one of the most horrific and traumatic events, not only of the 20th century but of all human history. The director took an unconventional approach to filming, using multiple stationary cameras in various rooms simultaneously, allowing actors to freely move between spaces without crew supervision, by this presenting the perpetrators “locked up in their own living spaces” in a cold, dispassionate manner. We don’t see the horrors themselves at all, but the eerie, terrifying and ubiquitous soundscapes (Johnnie Burn, the movies main sound designer have to be mentioned here) make it clear what’s going on in the background of the idyllic setting.

In The Zone of Interest, Glazer doesn’t just reveal a new, previously unseen perspective of the Holocaust; he also constructs a parable with universal significance. It suggests that oppressive and destructive systems are often perpetuated not solely by inherently depraved and purely evil individuals, but by opportunists merely fulfilling their “duties”. Or as Júlia Szilágyi, a Romanian-born Hungarian Holocaust survivor stated: “The seemingly boundless freedom of certain individuals is facilitated by the inaction of numerous others. Thus, an endless sequence of passivity transforms into action. The demagogic rhetoric of fascist ideology suggests that power operates in its own favor, yet it actually constructs its hierarchy upon a depoliticized mass and unaccountable individuals.”

20 Days in Mariupol (dir. Mstyslav Chernov, 2023)

The most harrowing and shocking documentary of last year delivers precisely what its title suggests: a first-hand report from a city under siege. Chernov (originally renowned as a photojournalist for his compelling coverage of global conflicts and humanitarian crises) compiled the documentary from footage collected during a twenty-day assignment as a member of the Associated Press (AP) team in the besieged city of Mariupol in February-March 2022, during the initial weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chernov and the AP team documented the Russian siege and its devastating humanitarian toll, including war crimes such as the bombing of Mariupol maternity hospital No. 3. On March 15, 2022, the Chernov and the AP team had been evacuated from Mariupol through a humanitarian corridor, carrying with them 30 hours of crucial video material. At that time, they were the last journalists remaining in the city.

The film eschews aestheticism, presenting the invasion in its raw and unvarnished reality. It depicts the chaotic confusion unleashed by the invasion, scenes of lives torn apart by incoming missiles, and exhausted medics struggling to revive injured, many of whom are infants. The anguish of parents unable to comprehend the unfolding tragedy permeates the footage. Nearly every frame is marked by deeply traumatic events, revealing not only a multitude of personal traumas but also the profound collective trauma of a nation facing existential threat.

Chernov’s straightforward and stark first-person narration refrains from passing judgment or offering commentary on the events of the siege; instead, it simply provides context for the footage. Indeed, the footage speaks for itself and requires no additional commentary.

20 Days in Mariupol transcends being merely a powerful documentary offering an intimate view of a war in progress; it stands as a cinematic chronicle of one of the bloodiest chapters in one of the most harrowing events of the 21st century thus far. This footage holds historical significance from the moment it was recorded, capturing the tragedy of a nation and by this culturally articulating a severe collective trauma. As a member of the Ukrainian armed forces states in the documentary: “the world needs to see.” However, as the documentary itself points out in self-reflective manner: firsthand footage of the horrors has no currency in the post-truth era. The pervasive propaganda easily undermines evidence. Thus, the question arises: will Chernov’s documentary succeed in convincing individuals indoctrinated by Russian propaganda (and its global disseminators) of the true horrors of war? I harbor no illusions about this…