Still: All is Well - Petra Lataster-Czisch & Peter Lataster

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, many Ukrainian refugees arrived in Amsterdam. Some of their stories are told in All is Well**, the heart-rending new feature doc from Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster, receiving its world premiere in IDFA’s ‘Signed’ section.

“The city made a big effort to find places for them. We wanted to do something in regards of what it means to be a displaced person,” Peter remembers how the project, filmed in the municipality of Weesp, began. “How does that affect all the things in your life - your personal relationships, your ambitions for the future of your relations with your children?”

They decided to explore the situation of the refugees primarily from the point of view of elderly Ukrainian women. “We know that in Ukrainian society, the ‘babushkas,” the grandmothers, have a very high status…we wanted to find out what it did to them to lose their family, their normal habitat, and how they feel about it,” Petra says.

The documentary includes moments of raw grief, for example when one of the grandmas visits the grave of a beloved son or when she returns to her abandoned home in Ukraine (accompanied by the filmmakers).

“Oh, life goes on,” Zoia sighs, between tears. She had told the filmmakers, to whom she had grown close, that she was planning on going back. “We said ‘if it is OK, we will accompany you.’ She was very surprised…[but] she loved the idea,” Peter recalls.

“We like each other very much and she simply allowed us to film what I am convinced a lot of women have to go through now,” Petra notes.

On the same visit, they record her reunion with her husband who is in his early 60s and has finally decided to quit the army (which at his age he is entitled to do).

When they’re in the Netherlands, a very long way from their country, one of the main ways the refugees stay in touch with their own culture is through food.

“It was so moving. When we were filming, all of the women came again and again with food for us. It was impossible to refuse for two reasons - you are not kind if you refuse but also it was impossible to refuse because the food is so well done!” Petra observes.

“We put on a bit of weight and so now we have to lose it again,” Peter chimes in as he remembers the borscht, the bread, the cakes and the elaborate Christmas feasts.

In their 2022 feature doc Journey Through Our World, which also played at IDFA, the Latasters turned their camera on themselves during the pandemic. As the outside world ground to a halt, they looked for drama and humour in their everyday life.

Some of that intense focus on the minutest details of domestic existence is also present in the new film. We see characters with their pets or cleaning their rooms.

“The Ukrainians love their cats and dogs. A lot of people brought their animals,” Peter observes. “That was part of life in the shelter. It was really lovely…”

At the same time, as they look at their cellphones and TV screens, the refugees are hearing distressing details about the war. Meanwhile, Dutch politics is swinging to the right. Populist ministers are calling for the Ukrainians to be sent back home despite the war.

“They [the refugees] are worried they will be forced to go back,” Petra says of the anxiety caused by the Dutch right-wing politicians. 

The filmmakers would visit the hostel “a few days a week at different times - and we made appointments with the women when we could film them.” 

The subjects clearly trusted the two Dutch directors and raised no objections to their presence.  “The people that we film know and feel that we deeply respect them and that we like them,” Petra remarks on the strong bonds they developed with their protagonists. 

Some of the women have jobs. For others, time weighs heavily. They’re homesick and anxious about their loved ones. They are resourceful, though. Working or preparing food is one way of keeping misery at bay.

As usual, the two filmmakers produced and directed the film together. Dutch distribution will be handled by Mokum (the cinema release is straight after the IDFA screenings). The documentary was commissioned by HUMAN TV Channel. Supporters included the Netherlands Film Fund, The Dutch Foundation for Public Broadcasting (NPO) and the Veterans’ Fund.

“We got the money in a very pleasant way, I must say,” Petra reflects on a documentary that proved very straightforward to fund, partly because of the reputation of the filmmakers and partly because the subject matter was so compelling.

For more information about IDFA 2024, click here.

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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Production Incentive