When Spring Came to Bucha

The small Ukrainian towns of Borodianka, Bucha, and Irpin near the capital of Kyiv were occupied by the Russian army for several weeks. Tanks and snipers targeted gardens between houses. After a month of intense fighting, the Russian army withdrew. In the completely destroyed town of Bucha, the streets were strewn with the corpses of dozens of killed civilians. How do people live there now, in the wake of such atrocities? How are the survivors coping? Over the course of several weeks, the filmmakers follow various residents as they pick themselves up from the smoldering ruins. The dead are identified, debris is cleared, and prosecutors start talking about a war tribunal. At first, all is panic, despair, and sadness – accompanied by sheer bafflement that they have been attacked by a country with so many ties to families and friends. But as the first blossoms of spring start appearing, these Ukrainians also reveal their resilience. A film as a gesture of solidarity gives them the opportunity to tell their stories: stories about life after the suspected war crimes were committed in Bucha and the surrounding area. Stories about destroyed lives – about atrocities and abysses, but also stories about humanity and hope – as the war in Ukraine continues to rage.