Us, Our Pets and the War. A Documentary About "Animals" That Teaches Us to Be "Human"

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In the middle of the full-scale war in Ukraine, which is full of loss, fear, and sorrow, there is a small story with a deeply touching one that seems to have largely escaped the notice of global media. That is the story of the relationship between the Ukrainian people and their little companion animals.

Anton Ptushkin, a famous Ukrainian blogger, decided to step into the role of a film director for the first time with this documentary. His decision stemmed from observing news footage of people fleeing the war. He realized that besides bags of clothes and essential belongings, the one other thing that many families carried with them, no matter how arduous the journey, was their dogs and cats (and, in fact, tortoises, rabbits, and other creatures). Some were in carriers, some in their owners' arms, others on leashes. Some were large, some were small. But regardless of their shape or condition, none were ever abandoned. Even at great personal risk, even with war all around them, their owners were willing to trek through hardship alongside them.

ภาพจากสารคดี US, Our Pets and The War

These images impressed Ptushkin, prompting him to ask What is the essential thing his compatriots feel must be protected in a situation like this? The answer he found while making the documentary was that Ukrainians' decision to protect small animals reflects their enduring ability to maintain a good heart, even amid the most pressing circumstances.

Ptushkin and his team spent over a year and a half filming Us, Our Pets and the War in a most unaccommodating environment. He gave an interview in which he stated that the main obstacle was not only the danger posed by the war zones, but also the severe electricity shortages during the winter of 2022–2023, as a result of Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. It reached a point where he had to run a generator just to edit over eighty-five hours of footage before the documentary could be completed.

ภาพจากสารคดี US, Our Pets and The War

Elliot Halpern, a Canadian co-producer, states that what the audience will witness in this film goes beyond the ordinary rescue of simple pets. It encompasses a more varied mission, including the evacuation of zoo animals, the bond between a young police officer and his dog that becomes a bomb disposal hero, and the tale of a fluffy, wrinkly-faced cat that survived a virtually destroyed building and the moving, dedicated attempts of a group of rescue workers to save it. These incidents all reflect a heartwarming spirit of kindness and compassion. That is certainly made even more remarkable by its emergence amidst the brutality of war.

Us, Our Pets and the War premiered in Ukraine and received a very warm welcome before gaining the opportunity to be seen by global audiences when PBS in the United States (the network that previously aired the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”, which recorded the violence during the initial Russian invasion) decided to purchase it for broadcast on its program Nature. Fred Kaufman, the show’s head, said that although the film is not a typical nature or wildlife documentary for his channel, he believes it absolutely deserves to be shown to Americans and people elsewhere in the world. He concluded that the central theme of the film is "humanity," which resonates deeply with the powerful statement by Asia Serpinska, founder of an animal shelter in Hostomel, “Save animals to stay human.”