'Divia' Review: Nature’s Silent Cry in a Nature Documentary Like No Other
- Romey Norton
- Nov 13, 2025
- 3 min read
By Romey Norton - November 13, 2025
Film - Documentary
In Divia, Ukrainian filmmaker Dmytro Hreshko proves himself a listener. Known for his keen observational eye and humanistic storytelling, Hreshko turns his lens toward an unexpected victim of war: nature itself. The result is a haunting, beautiful, and quietly devastating documentary that captures both the endurance and fragility of life amid destruction.
What is 'Divia' about?
Set against the ongoing war in Ukraine, Divia offers a rare ecological perspective on conflict; a story not of soldiers or civilians, but of forests, rivers, and animals struggling to survive the chaos unleashed by human hands. The film opens with stunning aerial shots of spring thawing the scarred landscape. Yet in the next frame, a stork returns to its nest, undeterred. This juxtaposition, destruction, and renewal is the soul of Hreshko’s film.
I can’t express how beautifully this documentary is filmed. Think of all the David Attenborough documentaries that take your breath away, and you might come close. Filled with long sequences of aerial shots of nature through vast lands, forests, and mountains, you’ll instantly feel at peace. The land is truly breathtaking, and you can’t believe how war could affect and damage such beauty. We watch deer, bears, birds, warhogs, cows, all living so peacefully, basking in the sun and hiding from the rain. Then switch to watching soldiers dig the land and bury landmines, debris, and animal carcasses in burned grass with lifeless trees. These shots feel apocalyptic.
Blending Environmental Beauty with the Brutality of War
Divia blends the aesthetics of environmental cinema with the emotional weight of wartime documentary. The pacing is deliberate, allowing silence to become its own form of storytelling. The absence of human chatter, replaced by the rustle of wind and the crackle of distant artillery, creates a disquieting symphony of survival. Through this documentary, Hreshko reframes the conversation around Ukraine’s suffering. At the same time, international headlines focus on geopolitics.
The title, Divia, meaning “wonder” or “miracle” in Ukrainian, proves both ironic and sincere. There is wonder here, in the way nature insists on rebirth even when the odds seem impossible. But there is also bitter irony: miracles are needed because destruction has become the norm. As a nature and animal lover, it’s hard to watch without getting teary-eyed and a lump in your throat. It’s a compelling piece of film.
This stands apart for its quiet political undercurrent. Without commentary, it poses urgent questions about accountability, environmental stewardship, and the hidden costs of human conflict. If there’s a critique, it’s that the pacing may test less patient viewers. The lack of conventional narration or structured arc means the film demands attention rather than asking for it. It’s a film to be felt more than analysed; an act of witnessing rather than storytelling.
A Poetic Reflection on Resilience and Hope
In the end, Divia is about resilience. It’s about the earth’s stubborn refusal to give up, even as humanity seems intent on tearing it apart. Hreshko’s vision is both mournful and defiant, a cinematic requiem that dares to find hope in ashes. Reminding humans that we share a planet, and look what we’re doing to it.
'Divia' had it's World Premiere at the 2025 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
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