Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rating: 5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
War is such a terrifying thing in the world, killing millions of innocent people who are just trying to survive the entire ordeal of two countries fighting one another, This is the plot of Franz Böhm's Rock, Paper, Scissors, a true story that follows a young Ukrainian's man fight for survival against the Russian invasion of his home country. Böhm was able to successfully capture the terrifying nature of the war at hand, showcasing what one would do to protect his people in a film that contains amazing cinematography and acting from our lead actor, Oleksandr Rudynskyi.
The film follows our lead character of Ivan as he is trying to help his father (Serhii Kalantai) get the refugees they are hiding underground out safely. However, when the Russians start pushing in on them and it seems like all hope is lost, Ivan takes fate into his own hands, hoping to buy his father and the refugees they are hiding more time. The movie does a fantastic job of documenting the terror that Ivan is going through to try and save his father and their people, and Böhm really taps into how Ivan might have been feeling during this time.
Made even better by a fantastically haunted performance from Rudynskyi, the film puts us right next to Ivan in the middle of this war, making us grip the edge of our seats at every twist and turn throughout the movie. Rudynskyi does an amazing job of tapping into the role of Ivan, and it honestly felt like we were watching a real-life snippet of war taking place in front of us. There is without a doubt in my mind that he is going to go incredibly far in his career. Especially considering this is based on a true story, the stakes are raised even more as we want Ivan and his father to get these people out of the underground bunker. Because of this, it is obvious Böhm takes a lot of care and consideration when telling this story, trying to highlight the traumatic experiences the people of Ukraine are going through during this time.
The cinematography and set design here are terrifyingly amazing. These filmmaking aspects really put us right into the action of the movie, and really heighten the stakes and terror that is going on during this moment in time. From the way the setting looks and how isolated it feels to different camera angles, such as through the binoculars and watching the truck explode towards the middle of the movie, it all works so well together to really tell this story in a way that strikes fear into the hearts of the viewer. There is one shot here that stands out, which is where Ivan is looking through the binoculars to discover there were a lot more Russian soldiers than they were anticipating. It is done so well and adds another layer of fear to the movie as a whole.
The attacks on Ukraine are unjust and horrible, and Böhm does a fantastic job of detailing the pain and hardships the Ukrainians are going through. The entire short film is incredibly hard to watch, and the ending just shows the brutality of the soldiers and nation that are invading Ukraine and murdering innocent people. This anti-war short film just shows how humanity is a lot better off without this unwarranted conflict, and we, as a society, needs to put a stop to this unjust cruelty.
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