In Roman Bondarchuk’s second fiction film, The Editorial Office (Redaktsiya), a young nature researcher turned into a journalist to uncover the truth after he witnessed a crime in the Southern Ukrainian steppe.
Six years after his fiction debut feature Volcano (2018), which examines the lives of people on the southern Ukrainian steppe who live in anarchic freedom, Roman Bondarchuk’s sophomore fiction, which premiered in the Berlinale Forum section, follows two biologists: Yura, in his twenties, who still lives at home with his mom, and middle-aged man Mykhailo. Both work at the Natural History Museum, documenting all the rare flora and fauna in the region. They are startled when they witness an arson attack while on a mission to find endangered species of groundhog in the wild steppes.
The next day, Mykhailo goes missing without a trace. The young biologist informs the museum director about what happened, but she doesn’t want to take the risk with the government and chooses to keep silent to protect her pension fund. As a result, Yura is unilaterally fired. Meanwhile, he takes his photo evidence to the local newspaper’s editorial office but realizes that nobody there cares about pursuing justice. Eager to expose the truth, he joins the news company but discovers that information gets distorted: They are delivering fake news!
Inspired by his own experiences growing up in a family of journalists, Roman Bondarchuk’s film offers a tragic story about people who lost everything because of an unjust power system and media distortions, and then it transitions into a surprisingly hilarious political satire-comedy. Like his previous films, which were set in Southern Ukraine where the filmmaker grew up and which is now depicted as “no longer existing,” destroyed by the ongoing war — the film is also dedicated to one of its editors, Viktor Onysko, who was killed in action while taking part in the Ukrainian army — The Editorial Office (Redaktsiya) presents a complex story, enigmatic in its storytelling but also bizarre in context, and serves as a shaken outcry on the manipulation of news within the country, amidst the war. In contrast, the film itself does not have a direct reference to the fighting that destroyed the country, but some mysterious cult rituals, among other elements, add layers to the film’s composition, with surreal and startling scenes that enhance its complexity.
There will be many characters coming and going, but Bondarchuk ensures they are all worth following. For example, “The Beekeeper” adds a peculiar tone to the film when he speaks to something unseen to foretell Mykhailo’s fate, or the girl who is chained to a floating inflated swimming balloon by her crazy rich boyfriend, shamelessly returning to him after being rescued. However, with the main character Yura, played by first-timer Dmytro Bahnenko, Bondarchuk shares with us the realization that the world is unfair and excruciating, maintaining a superbly understated approach without losing faith in his character.
The Editorial Office is produced by Darya Bassel for Moon Man Production (CPH:DOX competition entry Outside) and serves as the first fiction film for the company. It is also produced by Dar’ya Averchenko for South Films (Bondarchuk’s films Volcano, Ukrainian Sheriffs), who also co-wrote the film with Bondarchuk and Alla Tyutyunnyk, and co-produced by German outfit Elemag Pictures, Bratislava-based Silverart, and Czech Republic’s Masterfilm.
