In our era of perpetual information, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the horrific embattlements going on across the world. The two most top of mind are the Russo-Ukrainian War and the Israel-Gaza War, but there’s also violence in the Congo related to mining and ethnic cleansing occurring in Manipur, India, and the Republic of Artsakh, among others. Or, at least, there was conflict in the Republic of Artsakh, but that’s ended as the entire country is gone. If one ascribes to the notion that a country is not a place but its people, then the displaced Armenians will carry forward the traditions of their Indigenous land, but it may be a long time before they’re ever able to return. In 2018, documentarian Emily Mkrtichian (Motherland) went to Artsakh to tell a story about her people through the work of four different women with diverse approaches to modern life having been touched by the prior conflict some 30 years ago only for it to be interrupted by a renewed conflict with devastating consequences. Having had screened at other festivals in 2024, Mkrtichian’s There Was, There Was Not (Լինում է, Չի Լինում) joined the 2024 New Orleans Film Festival slate, bringing with it a story that deserves to be told so that it defies the inevitable tag of fairytale and remains in the public view so that we may be witness to history.
Siranush Sargsyan in THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT. Photo courtest of Silk Strategy.
Beginning in 2018, the film introduces audiences to four women working disparate-yet-significant jobs for their community. Siranush Sargsyan not only survived the fighting in the initial war, but went on to rise to the ranks of public servant in the European Parliament with hopes to be elected to the city council of Artsakh so as to improve the lives of the women in her community. Svetlana “Sveta” Harutunyan is a mother of three whose job is to help clear the landmine fields around Artsakh, a difficult job due to the plethora placed during the prior incursion. Gayane Hambardzumyan is a former freedom fighter who is working with a small group of women to help provide resources to other women and help them understand their rights. Sosè Balasanyan is a world-recognized award-winning Judo martial artist with dreams of honoring her country and family with an Olympic medal. But when the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began, a continuation of the conflict between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Artsakh, each of these women were forced to pivot in ways they’d never hoped or imagined they’d need to.
Sosè Balasanyan in THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT. Photo courtest of Silk Strategy.
According to the press notes, Mkrtichian didn’t set out to make the documentary placed before us. The intention was to follow four women as they pursued dreams in the wake of having experienced the prior war. This is a story in two parts with the first set in 2018 and the second in 2020, each portion possessing a specific and clear tone and energy through the same technical lens. The first half is oddly tranquil, especially if one isn’t familiar with the events as they occurred (2020 – present being a very overwhelming part of global history with conflicts and traumas extending to each continent on Earth), with Mkrtichian essentially dropping us into the lives of each woman with only the barest of historical background provided at the start and their names displayed with each introduction. The women don’t crossover during this portion; rather, Mkrtichian cuts from one aspect of their lives to jump over to see what a different one is doing, a narrative constructed not of interconnected activities or social events, but of intention toward Artsakh as it relates to their lives and the lives of others. Skipping over traditional documentary techniques of talking head interviews or archived footage, Mkrtichian merely follows each woman in their everyday activities, most often as a silent observer. Mkrtichian’s presence early on is only noticeable when a gate is held a little longer to allow for permissions of entrance to be extended or when Mkrtichian is spoken to directly by an elder. When the time skip occurs to the period of bombings, Mkrtichian is made just a little bit more of an active participant, her presence more acknowledged and given space so that Mkrtichian transforms from capturing the story of these four women to being a part of it.
Svetlana “Sveta” Harutunyan in THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT. Photo courtest of Silk Strategy.
Documentaries often try to capture a perspective often lost to time and circumstance, the documentarian not always the center of things, and Mkrtichian does the former delicately without succumbing to the later. We, the audience, come to understand the closeness of the subjects to Mkrtichian without their story, their new purpose created by the violent actions of others being overtaken. So, when we follow Sveta, whom we learn left an abusive husband and works doing one of the most dangerous jobs imaginable to provide for her three kids as a de-miner, we see the unrelenting positivity and that she’s pushed further than a human soul can bear as she must continue her work while sending her children to Armenia for safety once the bombings of civilian areas begin. Then there’s Siranush, whose goal was to serve the people of Artsakh in government, only to be forced to pivot toward the fourth estate to continue being of service when democratic actions are literally impossible against bullets and bombs. One may expect that the second portion, as these women contend with changed priorities in wartime, that Mkrtichian’s sense of hope would be lost or set aside, yet, it never leaves. Part of this is due to her cinematography which captures these women and Artsakh exactly as it is with its gorgeous landscapes, bustling towns, and active citizenry in the first portion and doesn’t change the visual language in the second. Where one might expect a dour visual presentation, Mkrtichian maintains the same authentic color spectrum enabling what occurs in the second portion to be accepted as it is, as a specific truth and hardship rather than a conceived or contrived one. The other part is in the raw presentation of the women themselves whose determination to do *something* when faced with a circumstance they’d believed was left to history is simply devastating to behold yet not without a sense of inevitability. Yes, we’re told at the start of the documentary that Artsakh doesn’t exist anymore, however, especially if one doesn’t know the history, we find ourselves believing that these women will find a way. Impeccable direction and cinematography by Mkrtichian and editing by Mkrtichian and Alexandria Bombach (On Her Shoulders) create this illusion and sense of hope that both they and we need.
Gayane Hambardzumyan in THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT. Photo courtest of Silk Strategy.
In the opening of the documentary, Mkrtichian explains that Armenian stories don’t begin with “Once upon a time,” but “Լինում է, Չի Լինում,” which translates to “There was, there was not.” Though it doesn’t get dug into by any means, Mkrtichian clearly takes this as the title for her film because the land of Artsakh is now akin to a place that was and, now, was not. It is a place that exists solely in stories, but is, itself not gone by virtue of the people who survive it. With the war over and the land reabsorbed, stories like this one come too late for action, but are, nevertheless, no less important than others. They help remind people that loss doesn’t mean abdication of self or that wiping out a land will, specifically, wipe out a people. The Armenians have faced too many genocides and too many others continue unabated. As other wars more inside the global mind continue to build a body count, it would do us well to consider what was and what was not about Artsakh so as to prevent it from happening again.
Screened during New Orleans Film Festival 2024.
In select theaters October 10th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official New Orleans Film Festival 2024 There Was, There Was Not webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews, streaming
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