A House Made of Splinters

The war in eastern Ukraine took a heavy toll, especially on the poor families living near the front lines. The film presents the stories of children from a special orphanage in Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine. A small group of social workers is taking care of children who have been temporarily removed from their parents and are waiting for custody decisions.^[9] The heroes of the film were also several educators who, in the conditions of the war with Russia, are trying to create a safe space for children near the front line. While children are being cared for, adult children are in danger, until the state authorities and courts decide the further fate of children.^[10]

The filming of the documentary lasted for more than two years in Donbas. It was created in the co-production of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ukraine with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affairs.^[1]

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on 26 January 2022.^[11]

It was invited at the Gothenburg International Film Festival held from 27 January to 5 February 2022, and at the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival held from 10 March to 20 March 2022, where it won Golden Alexander Award-Best Film as well as the FIPRESCI Award.^[12] Later it was screened at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival held from March 23 to April 3, 2022.^[13]

In April 2022, it was screened at the Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel and then at the 29th edition of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.^[14] In May 2022, it was presented at DOK.fest Munich and at the Israeli documentary film festival Docaviv.^[15] In June 2022, it was screened at the Sydney Film Festival. In July, it was selected at the 19th edition of the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival held from 10 to 17 July, in the 'International Full-Length Competition'.^[16] In September, the film featured in the Competition Program of AJB DOC held from 9 to 13 September.^[17] In October 2022, it was presented at the Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid and at the Osnabrück Film Festival and on 3 November 2022 at the Lübeck Nordic Film Days.^[18][19]

On January 17, 2023, American Documentary reported that POV (a cinema term for “point of view”) had acquired the film and it will make its national broadcast premiere on PBS, American Experience, as part of POV's 36th season launching summer 2023.^[20]

On February 14, 2023, it was reported by Deadline that Giant Pictures had acquired US theatrical and VOD rights to the film^[21] and as of March 7, 2023^[update], it was released on digital platforms in USA including Apple TV+,^[22] Amazon Prime Video^[23] and it is also running at select Alamo Drafthouse locations around USA.^[24]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 97% approval rating based on reviews from 39 critics, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Taking a brilliantly unobtrusive approach, A House Made of Splinters uncovers heartbreak and hope while observing the generational effects of war."^[25] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[26]

Critical response

Jack Seale reviewing for The Guardian rated the film with 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Full of almost intolerably cold, hard truths about what happens to little ones when society is fractured."^[27] Daniel Fienberg of Hollywood Reporter admiring the moments of beauty wrote, "I admired the moments of beauty that Wilmont delivers in a film that isn’t quite consistent enough in its storytelling approach." Concluding Fienberg opined, "Even if A House Made of Splinters can't completely decide if it wants to tell a story or the repetition of devastation and ephemeral uplift is enough, the faces here linger long after the movie ends."^[28] Guy Lodge reviewing for Variety praised the cinematography of the film, writing, "Lereng Wilmont’s filmmaking [is] marked by unusual tenderness and human interest, shot with a camera that feels all but invisible to its subjects". Concluding, Lodge stated, "A House Made of Splinters indulges in passages of visual poetry — light dancing on enraptured faces, two children’s silhouettes tracing the patterns on a backlit voile curtain," he added, "– that feel earned, granting breathing space and beauty to an environment that needs them most."^[29]

Elena Lazic wrote in Cineuropa, that the film "offers a window into [reality of life in Eastern Ukraine] through a temporary house for children who cannot be looked after by their parents". In concluding paragraph, Lazic rued that the film, "does not provide any groundbreaking ideas on the cycles of addiction, violence and neglect," next giving positive aspects of the film, she added, "but it does show what a difference even a flickering ray of hope can make in the lives of children."^[30]

The New York Times honored the film by assigning it with the prestigious 'Critic's Pick' and reviewing it Nicolas Rapold wrote "A House Made of Splinters is made with such aching sensitivity that it’s a marvel a camera was used and not some form of mind-meld".^[31]

• Official website
• A House Made of Splinters at IMDb
• A House Made of Splinters at Rotten Tomatoes
• A House Made of Splinters on Cinephil
• A House Made of Splinters on Giant Pictures