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There Was, There Was Not

Play trailer 2:13 Poster for There Was, There Was Not 2024 1h 34m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT follows four women living in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country reckoning with the aftermath of one war while on the precipice of another. In the midst of this uncertainty, four women build a life with the hope of making their home a better place. When war breaks out again, what began as an observational meditation on women's roles after conflict becomes an urgent and intimate record of their lives interrupted once again by war. From taking up arms on the front lines to fleeing their homes as refugees, we watch each woman's life change irrevocably. The war ends in the unimaginable: the complete erasure of their homeland. Amid these women's struggle for survival in a new reality, this film becomes the myth of a home lost forever, and the power of story to keep it alive.

Critics Reviews

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Susannah Gruder indieWire The title of Armenian-American filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian’s documentary is drawn from the traditional opening line of Armenian fairy tales and fables, and the words become a fitting mantra throughout this poetically constructed film Rated: A Dec 12, 2024 Full Review Scott Tobias The Reveal (Substack) There Was, There Was Not becomes a wrenching memorial for a country that no longer exists, a fairy tale without a happily ever after. Rated: 4/5 Nov 1, 2024 Full Review Robert Daniels RogerEbert.com “There Was, There Was Not” is a powerful tribute to a former country, and a frustrating illustration of a people’s dream turned nightmare. Mar 10, 2024 Full Review Douglas Davidson Elements of Madness As other wars more inside the global mind continue to build a body count, it would do us well to consider what was and what was not about Artsakh so as to prevent it from happening again. Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2024 Full Review Joshua Stevens Loud and Clear Reviews There Was, There Was Not films its scenes and characters like a fairytale, but equally captures the nightmarish reality that springs from evil and war. Ugliness and beauty are truthfully conveyed, something only the most powerful documentaries can do. Rated: 4/5 Nov 13, 2024 Full Review Eileen G'Sell Hyperallergic "... The women’s stories alert us to how fragile so many homelands continue to be ... [and] bring Artsakh’s history to the attention of the United States and other audiences with little or no knowledge of this embattled territory." Nov 11, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

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There Was, There Was Not

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Movie Info

Synopsis THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT follows four women living in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country reckoning with the aftermath of one war while on the precipice of another. In the midst of this uncertainty, four women build a life with the hope of making their home a better place. When war breaks out again, what began as an observational meditation on women's roles after conflict becomes an urgent and intimate record of their lives interrupted once again by war. From taking up arms on the front lines to fleeing their homes as refugees, we watch each woman's life change irrevocably. The war ends in the unimaginable: the complete erasure of their homeland. Amid these women's struggle for survival in a new reality, this film becomes the myth of a home lost forever, and the power of story to keep it alive.
Director
Emily Mkrtichian
Producer
Emily Mkrtichian, Brock Williams, Mara Adina
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Armenian
Runtime
1h 34m