22/10/2024 - The filmmaker’s sophomore doc, focusing on an Estonian volunteer in Ukraine, delves into the psychological toll the war is taking on volunteers and their families

Erik Tikan’s upcoming documentary Between Borders follows an Estonian man called Erko, who joined the Ukrainian forces early on. Erko is in charge of transporting wounded soldiers to hospitals. With most of his time spent on the front lines, his absence creates tension back home, causing difficulties and uncertainty for his wife and their young daughter. Tikan (Estcoy-8, 2022) accompanies Erko both in Ukraine and in Estonia, delving into the psychological toll the war is taking on volunteers and their families.

Tikan reveals to Cineuropa how he landed on the story: “When the war began, I knew I had to contribute. I used my knowledge as an Afghanistan war veteran and my professional background as a photographer, filmmaker and journalist. I entered the war in its second week. During the first year, I primarily focused on creating short video reports. After a while, I realised that it was time to look for the big story.”

Recognising that there are numerous classical documentaries on Ukraine, the director opted for an Estonian perspective, as the Baltics are deeply impacted by the war, and many Estonians have willingly joined the Ukrainian forces. Tikan reached out to Erko after spotting him in news reports about the shelling of Bakhmut in 2022. Then they started journeying to Ukraine together. 

With the war approaching its three-year mark, even the most devoted volunteers are growing tired and are questioning how long they can continue helping Ukraine while putting their own lives on hold. Tikan notes: “I don’t want to discourage people who do it or who want to do it. However, the film explores such questions as what the cost of volunteerism is, and how the war is crawling into our homes.”

Between Borders doesn’t aim to be a combat film; instead, it takes a subtler approach by investigating the hardships that Erko’s service presents to his wife and daughter. Tikan interviews and observes them all together and separately. “We're in the cities and small villages surrounding the front lines. Few scenes depict the reality of war. For instance, as we are evacuating the wounded Ukrainian soldiers, we witness a drone strike in the distance, but the war itself is not the main fixation,” Tikan discloses.

He emphasises that there have been many safety guidelines to follow, as well as bureaucratic and organisational delays, and extensive travelling involved. In addition, carrying the filming equipment, while wearing protective gear and being prepared to move quickly, is a physical challenge in itself.

It’s no secret that filming in Ukraine has been fatal to numerous journalists and documentarians. Tikan's extensive background as an ex-soldier and a conflict-zone journalist and photographer proved invaluable when estimating the risks. “Reporters dying got me thinking. I tried to educate myself by thoroughly researching most of these cases to find out what went wrong. Thanks to my experience in the warzones, I can recognise situations where you're not supposed to go – for instance, when there is an active movement of troops and the military can’t distinguish the ally from the enemy,” Tikan elaborates. He adds that he was deeply affected by the death of Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius while filming Mariupolis 2 [+see also:
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Tikan also serves as the film’s DoP. Between Borders is a co-production between Estonian production outfit Three Brothers (Maris Salumets, Elina Litvinova) and media organisation Levila (Daniel Vaarik). Discussions with international sales agents and distributors are currently under way. The release is scheduled for early 2025.