Original subtitles

[woman humming]

[continues humming]

- [door opens and closes] - [girl] Which one do I want? Purple.

[woman continues humming]

- [speaks Russian] - [interpreter] My dream house.

[woman on phone] Of course.

I understand the kind of grief you must be feeling right now,

and how you probably feel like you have to bear it all by yourself.

That's how it felt when I lost my brother.

- [woman] I'm so sorry. My condolences. - [woman on phone] It's so awful.

[woman sighs]

Amazing. That's such a pretty house. How wonderful.

And the flowers. Let's wish for a peaceful sky.

Write the word "peace."

- You should draw a dove flying... - Grandma, it's my drawing.

Ah, of course. Sorry.

[peaceful ambient music plays]

[Grandma] What are we gonna do at camp? Go on adventures?

- Mm-hmm. - What kind of adventures?

[both laugh]

[Grandma] Will we hike up the mountains?

- You want to? - Of course we will.

- Up! - [Grandma] Do you need a hand?

- [girl] No. - [Grandma] You and I are leaving tomorrow.

Early in the morning.

[girl] I hope I packed everything I need.

- How long are we going for? - [Grandma] For a week.

[girl] I should probably bring a big towel.

I don't know what to expect in the mountains.

[gentle music playing]

[whooshing]

[newsreader 1] Russian military vehicles crossing the border.

[newsreader 2] Explosions echoed throughout the capital.

[newsreader 1] And now Ukraine is under attack and calling on international help.

[newsreader 3] Many people are going underground, taking shelter.

[Grandma] It took everyone completely by surprise.

Milana woke up from the noise, and asked me if we were at war.

I told her, "No, Milana."

We had a basement in our building.

So I took food down there for her, and made sure she was dressed in warm clothes.

Where could we run?

[man] Look, back there.

[newsreader 4] All journeys now lead west.

In days, the lives of millions upended.

[newsreader 5] Almost two million people have left the country.

[newsreader 6] At least 165,000 people have crossed into Slovakia.

Nearly all here mothers and their children.

She really went through a lot.

So much suffering. But thank God she and I were together.

Because, you know, she's my...

She's my everything, my sunshine, my ray of light.

She keeps me from getting bitter.

Well... to be honest, she keeps my soul young.

Milana, is this our bus?

Maybe we'll see someone we know.

- Oh, hello! Nice to meet you. - [woman] Hello. You're Olga, right?

- Hi! My name is Yana. - Olga, yes.

- My name's Milana. - Pleasure to meet you.

- And I'm Anya. - Hello.

[Milana] Anya, it's nice to meet you.

- Shall we? - [Olga] Go to your seat.

You're in the middle.

[girl] If you're there, where should I sit?

[Yana] Okay, everyone! Put your hand up and say "cheese".

I'm taking a group picture.

- [kids] Cheese! - [Milana] Cheese!

- Did you leave through Ukraine or Russia? - [Olga] Through Ukraine.

- Are you from Mariupol too? - [woman] No, I'm from Kyiv.

- But we used to live in Crimea. - [Olga] Well, yes.

[woman] We left before the Russian occupation.

[peaceful ambient music playing]

[Olga] Just look at those mountains.

It looks so pretty up there, I wanna climb it.

[Olga] You think you'll be able to handle it? And everything else this week?

I can handle it.

[gentle music continues]

Up!

[Milana sighs]

[Olga] Amazing. This is just for the two of us?

Oh, wow!

A new day, a new camp!

[Yana] Milana, come meet somebody.

This here is my daughter, Viktoria.

[woman] Let me help you with that.

That's the place where you can practice, and the balance course is over there.

[speaks Ukrainian]

[man, speaking English] Thank you on behalf of our whole staff

for having the courage to come here.

My name is Nathan, uh, Nathan Schmidt, I helped found this organization.

But I'm not... I'm just one little piece of it.

There is a whole group of people all around here

that helped put this together,

and we're so glad that you made it.

How many people are excited about climbing this week?

- [boy] I am! - [Viktoria] How many people are excited?

- [boy] Raise your hand, quickly! - [girl] I'm excited.

[Nathan] Keep walking it, keep walking!

This rope symbolizes resilience.

People who climb mountains, they're brave,

they know they're gonna face a challenge.

But we are so glad that you're here. We're so grateful.

- And it's gonna be a great week! - [cheering]

[woman] Thank you!

[peaceful ambient music playing]

- [laughter] - [man] Hey, don't forget your helmet!

You're the smallest one here, so you'll probably go first.

- [Olga] Milana, give me your backpack. - I'll go after you.

I'm a little nervous.

Scary.

[man] Scared? No.

Are you ready? There we go.

- [Milana] Okay. - [man] Yeah.

- [Milana] Uh-huh. Got it. - [man] Voilà!

[girl] Don't be afraid. There's a safety harness.

[Milana] Sure, a safety harness.

I've seen a lot of accidents in the movies.

- I'm still scared. - [girl] Those movies are fake, though.

[Viktoria] Here?

- Here? - [man] Good.

That's it there, yeah.

[Olga] You can just climb a little bit and then come down.

- [Milana] I'm not doing it. I'll fall. - [Olga] Don't be afraid.

- [clapping] - Yana, good job!

Good job!

[Milana] I'm not doing it.

- I wanna go home, I'm scared. - [Olga] I understand you're scared.

- But this is the reason we're here. - [Milana] I wanna go home!

[Olga] Let's take a walk. Let's go.

- [Milana] Let me go! - [Olga] You can't take the helmet off.

[Milana] I wanna go home right now.

- Back home. - [Olga] Do you see the kids climbing up?

Milana, calm down.

[shushing] It's okay.

- No one is forcing you to do it. - [Milana] I wish I just stayed home.

[woman] It's okay, dear. Let's sit down.

It's all right.

[Milana sobbing]

- Everything's okay. - [Olga] Thank you.

[woman] All is good. It's all right.

We'll talk.

[Milana whimpering]

Everything's all right. Here.

[Milana] I don't want anybody to see me!

- You got it! Go! - [boy] Do it, Sasha!

[man] Hey! Go, Sasha!

- You got it! - [man] You got it!

When she starts crying...

- Yes. - ...it's best that at first,

you make her feel like you're there to support her.

- Then, you can give her space to be alone. - Yes, yes.

She's closed herself off from everybody.

She's become really shy.

She's ten years old now.

I tell her, "Milana, I remember when you used to be brave."

- Pre-teen years are definitely hardest. - Yeah. Yes, so true.

They have no self-confidence at all.

[Olga, laughing] Yes, of course. They only learn from watching us.

God save us! [laughing]

- Okay, big push! Jump! - [Olga] I have to get up here somehow.

- Up! - [man] Yeah!

[woman] Go on!

[Nathan] Good job! High five!

[Olga] Yeah!

That's it.

Yes.

[girl] My grandma would never do this, not in her life.

[Olga] Oh, oh, oh. Yes. Good.

[chuckles]

Hallelujah. Hallelujah!

- Good job. Good job. - [Olga] Thank God!

[Viktoria] Well...

- [Olga] Aah! - [man] You did well!

- [woman] Good job! - [Olga] Thank you.

- [man] Good job! - Congratulations! You did so well.

- [Olga] Milana, did you see? You saw it? - I'll put you on house arrest.

- For six years. Period. - [Olga] Oh, wow!

Jeez.

[man] Very good.

My hands are shaking. My heart's racing.

- [Milana] Ouch, ouch... - [Olga] Okay, I'm coming...

- Help me take it off. - [Olga] Of course.

Let me help. Let's see...

[Milana] Ouch! Be careful. Don't twist it. It's really hurting again.

Ouch!

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

Ouch. Yeah.

[Olga] It's because you've been walking so much.

Yeah. [grunts]

This spot hurts again. Ouch.

It's either a cramp or something's wrong with my leg.

[Olga] I think there's something wrong with the prosthetic that we can get fixed.

I'm going to bed.

[low rumbling]

[indistinct shouting]

[newsreader] "Black Saturday" is what Mariupol residents

are calling January 24th, 2015.

In this hell, Olga Ivanovna lost her daughter.

On that tragic day, Olga's daughter brought her child Milana to work.

She died in the attack, in front of her daughter.

Milana was later found in the rubble. Her leg had been crushed by debris.

Milana, dear, wake up.

When are we going for a walk?

Well, good morning.

Hello, sunshine!

[Milana sighs]

It's a bad day.

- [Olga] It's a good day. - [Milana] It's bad.

We have the power to choose what mood we're in, my love.

Grandma, mind your business.

I know about my business.

- And I know mine. - Let's not make everyone wait for you.

You've had enough sleep.

[Milana] Is it so bad that I just wanna brush my hair?

[Olga] You know, maybe we shouldn't have come here.

You don't have to be rude.

- Do you agree? - [Milana] Mm-mmm.

[Olga] In that case, you can put your prosthetic on by yourself

and I'll go to the next activity.

Milana, I'm going to a meeting now.

You've got it.

I love you.

[Milana sighs]

[sighs]

[Olga] I'm probably much more sensitive or sentimental than most people, but...

but when her splint first came off, and I saw everything with my own eyes...

That was...

I can't imagine how painful it was.

And how this girl had to endure it all.

[sighs shakily]

At first, all she would do was cry out and ask for her mother.

It was every day. I don't know...

She asked about her every second.

Especially after the surgery.

The suffering she's gone through is hard to describe.

I used to say to her in the hospital,

"Milana, when the doctors say that it's okay for us to go outside,

then I'm going to show you the brightest star in the sky."

"That's where your mother lives."

"And she's always watching over you."

"And she's glad to see your success."

Excuse me.

[sniffles]

[birdsong]

- Look, what do you think? - [Olga] That's a beautiful bouquet!

What now? Shall we keep going?

Are you jumping? Great job!

[Milana] And not scary at all.

[Olga] After she recovered from the third round of surgery in 2021,

we went back to Mariupol.

See you later, bye!

A psychologist told me I should take her to see the place where her mom is buried.

And to be honest, I was afraid of that.

But you know, I expected it to be different.

I thought she might get hysterical. But it was nothing like that.

She said, "Hello." And she was just very calm about everything.

I'm really grateful that...

[sighs] ...that at least, Milana was able to survive.

And a part of my daughter is still here.

- [Olga] I don't know. - [in English] Tell me your question.

- [Olga] Mm-hmm? - Tell her what you're concerned about.

Ah, yes. Lately I'm seeing new patterns.

Milana's ten years old now. She's in a transitional period.

I've been living with her for eight years, since the tragedy.

All the surgeries, the hospitals... all of that.

We went through that together.

I saw it all and I was by her side.

We were very close.

I was coping.

But now she's entering her pre-teen years and I'm a little afraid.

After all, I am her grandmother, not her mom. I'm afraid of making mistakes.

That's why I came to ask you for your help.

What more can I do?

Well, there's never really too much love.

But there has to be a bit of a shift now,

because she knows she's loved.

It's the time in her life to rebel.

It's normal, it's healthy.

She is discovering who she is, separate from you.

Mm-hmm.

You are the safe person with whom she can afford to have this conflict.

She feels safe with you.

- Like she's allowed conflict with you. - Thank you so much!

[Amit] Of course.

[gentle ambient music playing]

[Milana] Grandma says, "Milana, don't run."

And that gets on my nerves.

But I have problems with this prosthetic.

Sometimes it presses on me too hard.

But I'm always trying to adjust.

It's really funny when Grandma tries to put cream on my leg,

because it tickles.

When it tickles, I forget about everything.

Grandma always protects me.

She's always there for me, no matter what happens.

She's the best, and the most loyal. She's like... my second mom.

Well... yeah.

I'll give this bouquet to my grandma.

Maybe she'll forgive me.

[meditative music playing]

[woman] It's not strapped right.

- [Milana] Who wants to play with me? - Okay.

- She told me her leg hurts. - [woman] Fine.

[boy] Uh, she doesn't want to, her leg hurts.

[woman] Oh, that's not comfortable, is it?

And does she want to join us just for the walk?

[boy] Milana, are you coming to the forest?

[Milana] No, I'm going back home.

- Hey, Milana. Come on. - [Milana] Mm-mmm!

The two of us.

- [Milana crying] No! - [Olga] Milana?

- [Milana sobbing] I don't want to! - [man] Tell her it is...

- My leg hurts! I don't want to! - [Olga] You know you can do this.

- You just have to try. - [Milana] I wanna go home!

Why is no one helping me get down from here?

[crying]

[birdsong]

[meditative music continues]

[Viktoria] Will you at least take the cable car

up to the mountains with us tomorrow?

[Milana] I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying at home for the whole day.

[Viktoria] That's okay.

Can I give you a hug?

Nod if it's okay.

[Nathan] Today, we really intended to make it a very easy day,

so that Milana could feel a part of the group, so she could...

And she can do all the activities that we did do today.

We really want her just to feel like a kid.

You know, her childhood essentially has been taken away from her.

I mean, that... that's absolutely... I can't even imagine.

For me, I served three tours in combat. And the war's not important.

What's important is that it changes you as a person.

And the trauma that I had experienced was one that was sort of my own...

You know, I chose that path. That was my choice.

But for these children, they don't... they don't deserve that type of...

those scars, those long-term scars that last a lifetime.

For me to start healing, it really took when I was 39 and first started climbing.

Overcoming my own fears.

Fear of heights, fear of challenges that maybe I'm not gonna accomplish.

So I wanted to pass that on to these children.

Put that in there.

- [Milana] Don't lie to me again. - [girl 1] No, the water's totally fine.

Come on, get in!

Do you need help?

[Milana] No.

Oh, this water's so cold!

[woman] Right, careful out there, please. Don't knock that raft over.

[boy 1] You need any help? No? Wanna climb up here?

[Milana] No, I'm okay. I don't want you to push me off.

- [girl 2] Taras! - [boy 1] You guys, don't push her off!

- [boy 2] Help her up. - [boy 1] Come closer.

- [boy 2] Milana, climb up to us. - [Milana] No!

[man] Yeah, you can.

It was impressive. That's where the camp is special.

You guys have a good time.

We'll be up there. So am I.

[Nathan] I hope she really gets to relax and just be a kid.

Put some of those memories aside, just be a kid.

[laughs]

All these children deserve to be kids, they don't deserve to...

[tearfully] They don't deserve to be caught up in war.

And you know what, frankly...

You know, for me, I...

I was a combatant and I took other kids' childhoods away in Iraq.

[sniffles] And I can't fix that.

Maybe I can fix some of these kids.

Maybe I can help them.

But, anyway, we're all broken.

You know, this, this, uh... [chuckles]

This event doesn't just help the children,

it doesn't just help the mothers, it helps...

We have a lot of combat vets who are helping.

Other people that... that are also struggling.

We all deserve second chances.

We all deserve...

We all deserve this.

[boy 3] Do we keep... Option?

[boy 4] Wasn't it cold? That was totally fair.

[meditative music playing]

[Olga] Up! Yeah. There.

Hello, cows!

Hello, my sweet ones. I hope you won't follow me.

I'm not scared of you.

I love you, Lord. And I thank you that I'm here right now,

and that Milana is here right now, and that our friends are here, too.

Lord, give us happiness. Amen.

[hopeful ambient music playing]

[Olga] Great!

What a view! Take a look.

[Milana] It's gonna shake us again. Are you ready?

[laughter]

Are you stressed? Your hands are shaking.

Just relax and imagine that we're underwater in this cabin.

It's not scary to be underwater.

Okay, we'll do a head count now. One, two...

- [boy] It's just a walk. - [Olga] If you go, then I'll come too.

- Okay? So then go put a harness on. - [Milana] I'm not going there.

- [woman] What's with Milana? - [Olga] She's scared. What can I do?

[melancholy ambient music playing]x

[Yana] Let's go, girls.

[man] Pick up the tree.

- One moment. - [man] Sure.

[Olga] She doesn't have a harness. Where is she?

[woman] The guide, Andy, is with her.

Nice.

- [Milana] Like that? - [Andy] Yeah.

- [Milana exhales] - [Andy] See, they are waiting too.

- They are standing. - [Milana] Oh, my God!

- Um... Okay. - [Andy] That's it.

- See? Pssht, pssht! [chuckles] - [Milana] Okay.

[man] One.

- How the hell are we supposed to get down? - [boy] On the carabiners.

I don't have one, though. This guy is my carabiner.

Oh, my God!

Oh, scary.

No, no, no!

[exhales]

Ooh!

[Andy] Shall we go on, Milana?

- Huh? Let's go. Yes. - [Andy] You're ready? Yes. Yeah, sure.

Whew!

Let's go! Let's go!

[girl] Don't touch that, it's two sizes too big.

[Andy] Nice one.

- That's the top, huh? - [Milana] Oh my God!

Tippy-top.

[Milana] Oh, my God!

Wow!

- [Andy] Okay? - [Milana] Okay.

Just...

[Andy] Nice one!

Congratulations!

- [man whistles] - To everybody! To everybody! Nice.

- Really good. - [man] Yeah!

- [Andy] Hey! - [woman] Yeah! I'll put it here.

[Andy] Beauty.

[poignant, meditative music playing]

[Andy] High five!

Well done!

- [Milana] I wonder where my grandma is. - [Andy] I don't know.

[Milana] Why didn't she come?

[boy] That's what I got.

[Andy, laughing] Yeah!

[Milana] Oh my God!

What are you doing here?

[kisses]

I'm so proud of you. You did so well! I'm really proud of you.

[Nathan] Come on. Aaah!

- Is everything all right? - [boy] Yeah.

- We should live up here. - I don't feel like going down at all.

Oh, a group hug. Oh, group hug!

No sweets today.

- Yeah! - [Olga chuckles]

[Viktoria] Do it, Milana!

- [cheering] - [Nathan] Yeah! Ready?

- [group] One, two, three! - [all cheering]

[peaceful ambient music playing]

[screeching]

[Olga exhales shakily]

I hope for peace.

I pray for peace so much.

For peace all over the world.

And in Ukraine.

We will always remember those who died.

People of all ages, all the innocent lives that were taken.

[sighs]

We will honor them forever.

We will live on.

We'll cherish the sun. And the sky.

It's beautiful here, but in Ukraine, we have a lot of beautiful places too.

Let's go, kitten.

- What about you? - [Olga] You sit there. Hold on tight.

I'll be right here, watching you.

- Let's go! - [Olga] Good luck!

- You got it! - Yeah!

[squeals]

[Olga] She's going to live her life.

She'll face all of the good things and all of the bad.

And I'm happy for her.

She will be happy.

And may all children be happy.

And I just pray for the rumble of the war to end,

so that our children can be free.

[peaceful music continues]

[music fades]

[gentle piano music plays]

♪ When the night is long ♪

♪ And cold and dark ♪

♪ And the road is out of view ♪

♪ There's a light that shines ♪

♪ From behind the sky ♪

♪ And lights a path for you ♪

♪ And when your lamp ♪

♪ Has all burned out ♪

♪ And your map is torn in two ♪

♪ There is a light ♪

♪ That shines and shines ♪

♪ Upon the path ♪

♪ For you ♪

[soft, meditative music plays]