Premise: A small group of journalists capture footage from early in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and try to get out alive.
This goes in that category of documentaries, like The Act of Killing, that I have a hard time recommending, per se. It's a very good doc, but it's a hard watch. This tells the 20-day story of a group of journalists in Mariupol getting footage of all the awful things happening there, looking for a way to send the footage out to the world (wifi is hard to come by in a war zone), and getting out safely when exits are blocked from all sides.
I saw this the same day that I watched Victim/Suspect and the difference in style and quality were stark. Victim/Suspect kept forcing the story to be about the journalist investigating, even though there was no clear reason to give her that focus. In 20 Days, the movie is the filmmaker's story. It's about where he goes and what his struggles are. He does everything he can to stay out of focus though. If he's at a hospital that has just been bombed, it's not about how he came this close to getting bombed. It's about the people who were hit.
Again, it's a hard watch. There are dead bodies throughout. Children in peril too. Not to sensationalize. Rather, to reflect what was actually happening. If you have the stomach for it, this is a worthwhile movie to watch. But I understand if you don't want to go through it.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
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