26/12/2025 - Anastazja Naumenko creatively utilises the form of desktop film to probe a mother and daughter's online relationship in this short film

Anyone who has taught senior family members how to use Zoom will likely appreciate Anastazja Naumenko's Can You Hear Me?. The 15-minute animated documentary competed at Ljubljana's Animateka after a successful festival run, including Telluride and Tallinn.

Originally from Ukraine, Naumenko studied at Krakow and at KASK in Ghent, Belgium. Following protagonist Nastia, who has also lived away from her native country for some years, the film depicts gently amusing scenes in which she teaches her mother to use online services. The film is divided into three chapters: how to share the computer screen, how to create a Google account, and how to copy pictures from a pen-drive. 

Nastia patiently instructs her middle-aged mother on every operational procedure step by step. While the unnamed parent patiently learns to adapt to unfamiliar technology, the ongoing communication between them reflects a dynamic emotional relationship.

Nastia looks for certain files in her server while her mother is talking about family photos that have long been forgotten. Later, the daughter devises a 3D model based on her mother’s experience of a psychological health issue. 

Although Nastia stays silent most of the time while her mother is speaking, she attempts to respond in her own manner. Given the generational communication gaps, Zoom provides a useful tool to bring them together. During all this, Nastia is regularly googling for updates on the war in Ukraine and working on her own graphic designs. 

Naumenko innovatively animates the daughter’s POV on the desktop screen, immersing viewers in recorded live conversations. Using such techniques, they craft a vivid family portrait across generations. Suppressed feelings emerge on the laptop's display – and a specific bond between two individuals takes on more universal significance.

In the end, Can You Hear Me? is more like a question posed to one’s inner self. When the daughter says "I miss you" to her mother in the final moments, is it because the technology of Zoom has allowed her to express such direct sentiments? On a wider level, the film reminds those kept physically apart that, as long as they care about each other, they can always find a way to console their fractured hearts.