October 2024. Russian forces are closing in on Hirnyk, a mining town in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Shelling is constant, and staying becomes more dangerous by the day. Yet for many residents, leaving is anything but simple. A home holds a lifetime of memories. Some people have relatives to care for; others cannot imagine where they would go.
Volunteer Denys Khrystov drives into the town to evacuate civilians and their animals. Filming on his phone and body camera, he records encounters with people who are ready to flee and others who refuse, even as the front line draws nearer. Every journey involves danger, uncertainty and the possibility of returning without the people he came to help.
Built from Khrystov’s own footage, Mykola But’s documentary HIRNYK brings us close to the decisions made in the final days before the town’s occupation. Rather than offering easy answers, it asks what it means to leave everything behind, and what it costs to stay.