“What a minor thing to be bothered with in times of invasion. It’s just a bureaucratic record,” scoffs the chorus of critics. Volodymyrivna, Mariia’s patronymic – a middle name derived from that of her father – has disappeared from her international documents. For her, the name is more than just a formality though: it links her to her father and to Ukraine. This personal film playfully combines documentary footage, archive material, official documents and staged re-enactments on a night train. In so doing, it questions the patriarchal concept of the patronymic and sheds light on its postcolonial connections. For Mariia, this is already her third work – following ‘May 9th’ (2015) and ‘Three Windows on South West’ (2023) – in which she grapples with her identity.

Seggen Mikael