Mariia Ponomarova’s short documentary Patronymic is an interesting, almost experimental film that feels heartfelt and shows the power and value of keeping your full name during a time of conflict. Inventive and thoughtful, this film will keep you in full discussion mode.

Mariia Ponomarova is on her way back home to Kyiv when she discovers that her middle name, Volodymyrivna, derived from her father’s name Volodymyr, is missing from her official documents. This discovery leads to her exploring not only her family history, but Ukraine’s cultural identity.

While at times there is a bit of repetition throughout, Patronymic, the core of the film is what really engrosses you. Could it do with a tiny ounce of trimming? Sure, but this is such a deeply personal film for the director that you let it slide, especially as she mixes up the presenting of her thoughts in those 22 minutes.

The interesting thing about Patronymic is that it will cause discussion, and plenty of it. For those used to the practice, it will feel like nothing; Scandinavians go by son’s and dottir’s, but for those getting married in English-speaking countries, there is the age-old tradition of taking on the husband’s or a partner’s name. Some, like my wife, will love the idea (she hated that her surname was practically last in the Alphabet and a very common name, whereas mine is far earlier and a little more unique.) But rightfully, for some it will be a difficult decision, and they may not want to take on another father’s name by removing theirs. We even have Governments like in Quebec, where you have to pay a hefty fee to change the name over.

For Ponomarova, her feelings on the matter are amplified due to the invasion of Ukraine; she is more distant from her father. Now, instead of a simple flight to visit him, she is stuck on day-long train journeys; there is great risk in travelling across the country. Add to the fear of her father being in danger. So expectantly, she wants to cling to whatever of her father that she can; having his name removed from her own on official documents may seem like something trivial, but it is far from it.

There is meaning and importance to such small things at a time like this; an official, proper line of connection between the two that should not be able to be erased has been. By having the option of keeping her patronymic removed from her, it suddenly becomes something more precious, even at a time when some Ukrainians have a dislike for it. Not being able to make that choice yourself is disconcerting for her.

On its own narratively,  it is ample thought for a short documentary; however, Ponomarova has opted for an almost experimental approach to document her film, with it at times coming closer to a stage performance or live art piece than a documentary. We have choirs, staged scenes, photographs and FaceTime melded together to make Patronymic an incredibly engaging watch. By forcing herself away from the typical documentary format, we have something incredibly unique.

★★★★

Support Us

I am but a small website in this big, wide world. As much as I would love to make this website a big and wonderful entity. That would bring in more costs. So, for now, all I hope is to make Upcoming On Screen self-sufficient. Well, enough to make any website fees less of a worry for me in the future. You can support the website below…

Patreon

You can support us in a variety of ways (other than that wonderful word of mouth) and those lovely follows. If you are so inclined to help us out, then you can support us via Patreon, find our link here!. We don’t want to ask you much, so for now, we have limited our tiers to £1.50 and £3.50. These will, of course, grow the more we plan to do here at Upcoming On Screen.

Social Media

You can also support us via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Blue Sky! by giving us a follow and a like. Every single one helps!

Thanks for reading; every view helps us out more than you would think (we have fragile egos). Until next time.