Written and directed by Emily Mkrtichian, four women of Artsakh face war’s aftermath, build lives amid uncertainty until another war interrupts; some take arms, others flee as homeland faces ethnic cleansing and erasure.
Emily Mkrtichian makes a very strong first impression with There Was, There Was Not, it immediately has such a wonderful emotional depth and presence. It’s no surprise then that what follows is thoughtful, kind and heartbreaking. A very clever and appreciative choice from Mkrtichian was to spend a good portion of the documentary getting to know its subjects. She takes the time to portray the everyday lives of these four women, their families, their jobs and their love for Artsakh. It was the perfect way to then drive home the loss and pain of the latter half of the documentary as they fall under siege.
There’s so much positivity in that first half, it’s a lovely example of women supporting women and how that aids in progressing attitudes and rights. Especially as we see how they try to keep that up in wartime. There’s a genuine sweetness and caring nature to these women, you can see how they constantly think of others. Yet Mkrtichian also captures a lingering sadness of what’s to come, making it painful to watch when the war unfolds and we see Artsakh being taken away from them, and their lives and those of their family and friends being put at risk.
When the conflict takes hold, it feels all too familiar, like the lesson of we are doomed to repeat history because so many leaders refuse to learn from it. Their experiences reflect many others around the world being displaced. There Was, There Was Not does a great job of capturing the toll that those experiences take, the fear and weight that it puts upon innocent civilians. Not to mention even once they are free of the warzone, they have to reconcile with the idea that their home is gone, not just their houses but their entire homeland will likely never be theirs again. It’s unimaginable what that feels like, but Mkrtichian sincerely portrays both how distraught and resilient these women are.
There Was, There Was Not feels like it was made out of pure admiration, Emily Mkrtichian recognises the generosity, the power and the determination of these four women. The documentary does justice to them while also capturing the horror of their situation. Focusing on the everyday impact on the people of Artsakh, rather than the fighting and violence. It’s incredibly thoughtful and a timely reminder of the countless people across the world facing ethnic cleansing and displacement.
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