Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Franz Böhm

A true story taking place on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, Rock Paper Scissors opens with Ivan  (Oleksandr Rudynskyi) and his father (Sergey Kalantay). They operate a makeshift field hospital crammed inside an underground bunker, dressing wounds while radioing their compatriots aboveground. When Russian forces start closing in, Ivan is forced to make an impossible decision that will change his life forever.

The film explores the shocking, almost supernatural heroism unveiled by those backed into a corner. Ivan ascends out of the bunker, firearm in hand, ready to take on the threat all by himself. Rudynskyi does an excellent job conveying this emotion, especially when the situation escalates. We see the panic in his eyes watching what he thought were two enemies turn out to be eight, and we hear the nervous cracking in his voice when he radios for help to no avail.

Visually, there is a clever juxtaposition between the warmth inside the bunker and the cold, dull hue of the grey landscape aboveground. Cramped as it may be, the hospital is a bastion of life and hope, one Ivan is hell-bent on protecting. The production design does wonders in making you feel you're in the midst of a sprawling war, despite the film sticking to just a handful of locations in close proximity. The sound design achieves something similar, with the whirr of fighter jets and rumble of explosions in the distance adding to the raw, authentic experience. The film makes the most of what it’s got, pairing a compact narrative with decidedly cinematic production value.

It’s a difficult task to chronicle an ongoing war onscreen, yet the Rock Paper Scissors accomplishes it. By honing in on a singular event amongst the broader conflict, it’s able to exemplify not only the horrors of war, but the individual sacrifices that are too often overlooked.

Review by Shane McKevitt for Venice Film Week