Life Begins

The Protagonist is a war veteran who struggles to readjust to civilian life after participating in fierce battles. He finds it difficult to find his place, even at home. After a fight in a pub, he is
imprisoned in a military facility and then sent back home, where memories, physical and emotional trauma, and the sounds of war haunt him.
A peaceful home seems alien to him, and people who have not experienced war cause misunderstanding and alienation. The Protagonist attempts to adapt by working on a military
video script, but even this work provides no solace. His friends and acquaintances only exacerbate his internal conflict by portraying the war as remote.
A phone conversation with a combat friend, memories of the fallen, constant body pain and anxiety all serve to reveal how difficult it is for a veteran to exist in a peaceful life. In the finale, the Protagonist meets his family at the railway station, but even this meeting leaves a bitter aftertaste. All his emotions are cut short by a scream on the phone as he talks to his wounded friend.
The film ends abruptly, emphasising the incompleteness and difficulty of veterans' return to normal life, which is full of shadows of war.

Director: Oleksii Taranenko

Country: Ukraine