Four women grapple with their national identity and role in the Republic of Artsakh on the brink of war.
Armenian tales often forgo the Westernised “once upon a time” to begin with “there was, there was not.” That is also the starting point of this illuminating doc about a country that lingers between two wars, home to four women who find themselves reckoning with their national past while looking for strength to fight for its future. From a local politician to a hopeful athlete, There Was, There Was Not piercingly looks at the role of women in life — and conflict — as another war erupts and the countrywomen must once again fight for survival.
Isra Al Kassi