Emerging Ukrainian filmmaker Sophia Gera explores personal subjects in her debut feature, Cognition Trilogy: Separation, blending essayistic introspection with a diaristic approach. Set during the first wave of Covid-19, the film unveiled in the First Lights competition at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival follows Gera and three other Ukrainian filmmakers as they isolate in the countryside, ostensibly seeking a calm environment to work on Gera´s fiction film. However, what they encounter is a separation that transcends physical or social distancing, delving into an introspective isolation.

Gera’s work is anchored in a sense of place and history, yet its focus is internal landscapes. She co-founded art initiative INAKSHE to bring cultural and educational resources to occupied Donetsk. Through such an initiative, Gera has examined how creative identity navigates and adapts to adversity. In Cognition Trilogy: Separation, she brings these themes into a personal sphere, opening a window onto her inner world during a period of crisis. The film’s essayistic structure leans toward contemplative storytelling, blending Gera’s diaristic narration with a collage of home-video-like footage captured by herself and fellow filmmaker Anton Kuleba, who also appears on screen. The titular "separation" acquires multiple dimensions, reflecting not only the filmmakers' physical detachment from their urban lives and social circles but also an exploration of self-fragmentation.

Gera describes her journey toward self-understanding as a “natural process of destruction”. Her voiceover, often addressed to an imagined “Overman”, serves as a narrative thread, mapping her evolving thoughts and frustrations. Personal challenges intersect with the socio-political context of Ukraine, particularly the ongoing conflict that, for Gera, began in 2014, the year she embarked on a career in filmmaking. While these political undercurrents are not explicit, they permeate her reflections, underscoring her experience. At times, the film juxtaposes surreal incidents with personal moments of loss; for example, Gera suddenly finds a neighbour’s dog who has come to die in her yoga spot. This is followed by the emotional toll of missing her grandmother’s funeral, compounded by her inability to attend her grandfather’s.

The film's rough, spontaneous footage reflects a DIY aesthetic, capturing Gera’s self-shot scenes interwoven with shots of the countryside around Bakota and found footage of her grandmother. This retreat ostensibly serves as preparation for the upcoming feature, Overman, which Gera and her colleagues work on throughout. In the process, Gera selects “Overman,” “Darkness,” “Light,” and “Labyrinth” from this common work as thematic figures, referencing them directly and indirectly and using them as motifs in a documentary which acquires a therapeutic dimension. The behind-the-scenes footage of the project gradually evolves into a personal retreat.

Though contemplative, the film preserves a certain “stream of consciousness” in its editing, with various moments and situations juxtaposed in Gera’s self-isolation. The film is bookended by the beginning and end of her work on the fiction film Overman, setting it apart from typical Covid-era diaries; the pandemic itself becomes secondary as the film advances toward a generational statement marked by a sombre tone which is framed by the Ukrainian predicament. Gera’s meditative essayistic approach conveys a perspective which captures the internal struggles and creative resilience of a young generation navigating uncertain times.

Cognition Trilogy: Separation was produced by Alarm Productions.