79 minutes of Ukrainian steelworkers who'd rather die than surrender. No heroes, just humans.
About the struggle of steelworkers and residents of the city of Mariupol against the German fascist invaders during World War II.
Direction
Lysenko shoots Mariupol like a tomb that refuses to close.
Acting
Ensemble feels like actual factory workers, not performers.
Production
1974 Soviet realism—no budget, all weight.
Director
Yurii Lysenko
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mariupol's Azovstal plant became global news in 2022; this film excavates its earlier martyrdom.
Lysenko filmed in actual Mariupol locations still scarred from WWII, not sets—workers' descendants played extras.
SU
