All Is Well

At the opening of a new shelter for Ukrainian refugees in the Dutch city of Weesp, documentary makers Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster join the procession of household goods, suitcases, staff members and new tenants. The camera looks on affectionately as children run around whooping with delight, rooms are furnished and the reality of a new way of life takes shape. The central meeting point is a large kitchen with a gleaming stovetop and numbered sections in the fridge for each room.

As the camera follows and records, it captures stories of heartbreaking loss. This safe place offers relief, but life is still tough without grandma’s unrivaled borscht and the warm embraces of loved ones. “All is well,” says one tearful woman. “We’ve got to live. We’ve got to cook,” says another.

And there’s plenty of cooking going on, pans of both pain and solace. For Zoia it's an essential escape from her room, where the photograph of her now-dead son triggers unutterable grief. She cuts, chops, kneads, stirs and serves up food. Every day she has a video call with her husband on the front line, and every day she begs him to leave the battlefield.