Documentary footage shot in the summer of 2023 by Oleh Sentsov, when his APC was hit by the enemy. Sentsov found himself in a nearby trench and, using radio communication, organized the evacuation of his unit, which was under fire, with ammunition running out. This operation was nicknamed "Real".
Direction
Sentsov directs his own rescue via radio while bleeding. Meta doesn't get more real.
Editing
90 minutes of chaos distilled into coherent narrative—no score, no relief.
Sound
Radio crackle becomes symphony; silence between explosions gut-punches harder.
Director
Oleh Sentsov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sentsov was a political prisoner in Russia 2014-2019; this film completes his transformation from fiction filmmaker to living document.
The 'Real' operation became legendary in Ukrainian military circles before the film existed—Sentsov essentially crowdsourced his own mythography.
UA
