Liminal

Filmmaker's note

The Ukrainian-Russian war continues to be one of our world's most consequential stories. The stakes are clearer every day—either Russia emboldens totalitarian movements across the globe, or Ukraine succeeds in protecting itself and democratic alliances for another generation. It is a story that is often (rightfully) being told as the macro conflict between governments, militaries, transnational alliances, and good vs evil. However, when I had the opportunity to film a group of Ukrainian soldiers coming to my hometown of Minneapolis for rehabilitation, I sensed there was an opportunity to add an intimate human dimension to this enormous global story. When the soldiers arrived in February 2025 to receive care from Yakov Gradinar and the Protez Foundation, Ukraine-US relations were already strained. But during their brief tenure here, they were also forced to witness the US government threaten to withdraw support from the very war that cost them their limbs and, in many cases, their friends, neighbors and loved ones. What I initially envisioned as a story about rehabilitation became something more complex: a portrait of men suspended between injury and recovery, between their former bodies and rebuilt ones, between the battlefield they left and the one calling them back. And their home country of Ukraine was itself suspended between two possible futures: sovereignty or subjugation, survival or erasure. The title Liminal reflects both this in-between existence and the literal limbs these men are rebuilding—a duality that connects their personal transformations to the larger historical moment they inhabit. And while the film incorporates this political reality, it attempts to also transcend it by using an expressive cinematic language to evoke something deeply personal, physical, and immediate: the profound care these soldiers receive, both medical and emotional. By showcasing Dr. Gradinar's charismatic leadership and the soldiers' incredible perseverance, I hope that the film will become a moving testament to human resilience in the face of trauma, injustice, and adversity. The few weeks I spent filming during this consequential period—for the soldiers, the war, and Ukraine-US relations—moved and changed me in ways I'm still processing. What I understand clearly is my gratitude for this opportunity and for the Ukrainian people, who through their fight for independence are waging a broader war that implicates all our futures. To contribute in this small way, helping tell the story of what's at stake and what's possible, has been one of the greatest honors of my career.