BARZAKH

In Chechen – as in Arabic – “barzakh” refers to a place that lies between life and death. The figures in Kvedaravicius’ stirring documentary film have been living in limbo ever since family members vanished without a trace in the second Chechen war. Their everyday existences, marked by hope alternating with desperation, are interwoven with the lives of those who may be alive and “there”, but who live with the consequences of their traumatic pasts after having experienced torture and abuse. Familial and communal solidarity is their only solace. With its moving mixture of documentary footage and poetic images BARZAKH takes an empathetic and angry look at the results of a catastrophic conflict, the helplessness of its victims and the crushing indifference of the local authorities.