A Ukrainian action thriller dubbed 'Saving Private Ryan for the drone age' has been released, showcasing the latest in battlefield technology. The film, titled Killhouse, is based on the real-life story of a civilian couple saved from the battlefield by Ukrainian drone operators.
Plot and Inspiration
The film's director, Liubomyr Levytskyi, said he was inspired by a true story where a couple trying to rescue relatives came under Russian attack. The man was badly wounded, but a Ukrainian military unit sent a drone with a note saying 'Follow me.' The woman followed the drone, dodging mines and bullets, while Russian soldiers threw her unconscious husband into a trench. Incredibly, he survived.
Levytskyi initially made a 30-minute documentary, Follow Me, which gained wide attention. 'I realised that this story really strikes a chord, and people get it. Drones in general, well, they're something new. And I thought, right, this story needs to be made into a film,' he said.
Production and Cast
The two-and-a-half-hour film was shot last year in the Kyiv region. Levytskyi took artistic licence, adding a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by Russians. Scenes take place in the White House situation room, occupied eastern Ukraine, and a farmhouse in a deadly grey zone. There is a shootout and car chase in downtown Kyiv.
The film features cameos by well-known Ukrainian figures, including former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. US journalist Audrey MacAlpine plays a version of herself. She said filming had to stop on several occasions due to air raid alerts. 'It was a war within a war,' she said.
Actor Denis Kapustin, who now serves as a drone operator in Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade, said the film captures the complicated multi-level nature of modern warfare. 'It's a race for technological superiority,' he added. Soldiers acted alongside professionals, with pyrotechnics simulating explosions.
Reception and Distribution
Ukrainian audiences have reacted positively. Maria Hlazunova, who worked for the Dovzhenko Centre, said at the Kyiv premiere: 'It's interesting to see people from the news such as Budanov on screen. It's like fiction mixed with fact. The film is super-patriotic, which is as it should be. There are a few cheesy moments. Overall it does a really good job.'
Ukraine's two main intelligence agencies, the SBU and DIU, provided US Humvees, MaxxPro vehicles, and a Black Hawk helicopter for production. The film showcases Ukraine's latest homemade drones, including the catapult-launched reconnaissance model 'Shark.'
The makers claim it is the first feature film to use footage from real combat drones. They are preparing an English-language version for US distributors and considering a four-episode version for streaming platforms like Netflix. Killhouse was made without state support on a $1.1m budget.
Moral and Context
Like Saving Private Ryan, the story poses a moral question: is it worth sacrificing many lives to save one person, in this case a stolen child? According to Ukraine's army media unit, the film depicts 'something the world often misses in the daily flood of frontline updates. Ukrainian soldiers are not just fighting to hold territory. They are crossing into grey zones to bring civilians home.'
Levytskyi suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated Ukraine's resilience when he launched the full-scale invasion in 2022. 'The enemy is very afraid when Ukrainians are united. That is a fact,' the director said.
