In The Rearview

"NYT Critic's Pick! Many passengers seem to be heading to the Polish border from remote Ukrainian villages. But the van’s familiar interior has a way of underlining how many other millions across history have had to escape military aggression. Hamela’s work as driver and documentarian reflects that reality while offering a spirit of resilience."

"Maciek Hamela’s Oscar-shortlisted documentary In the Rearview [is] a compelling portrait of Ukrainian civilians fleeing for their lives in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion."

"Respectful, frank and moving, this is a small film with a devastating impact."

"As a mode of witnessing the horrors of war, the documentary is both subtle and remarkable, and because of its carefully honed editing and simplistic yet effective structure, we’re granted unique insight into the lives and stories of these individuals too easily thought of as background players in a larger geopolitical struggle. “In the Rearview” lets us see clearly what’s so often obscured. "

"A mesmerizing film."

"Hamela’s film takes on the power of protest through personal filmmaking instead of blunt messaging."

"An extraordinary film."

"Director Maciek Hamela makes a fair argument that one can comfortably record history while being an agent for change."

"[T]he film’s high stakes and its characters’ intense passions make it must-see documentary for anyone who wants to understand the plight and resolve of the Ukrainian people."

"A refreshing and candid snapshot of the normal and the horrific. Once it starts, it will overcome any hesitation from war-weary, burned-out audiences."

"A road movie that is simple in concept and devastating in execution. "

"Despite the extraordinary circumstances in which its subjects find themselves, the film is incredibly effective as a slice-of-life documentary, a testament to the resilience and courage of the normal people this conflict has affected, as well as Hamela’s determination to tell their stories as truthfully as possible."

"In another stellar example of vérité storytelling, the ravages of war are written on the faces of evacuees as they flee their homes and lives amid escalations in the war in Ukraine, viewed through the ‘rear view’ perspective of our director as he drives group after group out of danger and into new and uncertain lives ahead. Views of the passing, war torn landscape outside the windows of the vehicle are continuous glimpses into the horrors of war that most people can only imagine. This emotionally-driven journey into the unknown for the film’s subjects, passengers of the camera-wielding caravan, captures the humanity of each face and the rawness of their experience in moments charged with fear, empathy, love, pain, grief and even, at times, humor."