Carol of the Bells

Set in the city of Stanislaviv, this historical drama follows three families of Ukrainian, Polish, and Jewish descent who share a home and a love for music. Their peaceful coexistence is destroyed by the successive occupations of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, leading to persecution and death. An Ukrainian singing teacher named Sofiia works to protect her daughter and other orphaned girls during the conflict. Despite the hardships of war and subsequent forced relocation to an orphanage, the girls remain connected through the music of the Ukrainian folk melody known as Shchedryk, or Carol of the Bells.

The film was directed by Olesya Morhunets, appearing as the first in a chronological list of her works before The Bastion of the Exclusion Zone. The screenplay was written by Kseniya Zastavskaya. The ensemble cast features Yana Koroliova, Andrii Mostrenko, Polina Gromova, Joanna Opozda, Mirosław Haniszewski, and Khrystyna Ushytska, among 27 credited performers.

A joint production of Ukraine and Poland, the movie has received positive reception from viewers. It holds a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb based on 1,400 votes and a score of 7.6/10 on TMDB from 29 votes.