“Silence is not emptiness. It is not the absence of something. It is the presence of the self, and nothing else.”

Deaf since childhood, Viktor lives in the Kharkiv countryside and nurtures a fascination with the figure of the samurai warrior. When the Russian invasion begins, his heroic imagination of war collides with the violence of reality. Refused enlistment due to his deafness, Viktor signs on as a photographer and begins a quest to find his place in a conflict he cannot hear.

With Viktor, Olivier Sarbil sketches a portrait of masculine fragility, where fantasies of virility crack upon contact with destruction and death.

A contrast between beauty and ugliness 

In Viktor, Olivier Sarbil achieves a feat: juxtaposing the visual beauty of his images with the atrocities of war.

I call it a feat because the director worked alone in a war zone. Not only as a director but also managing sound and photography in such an unpredictable environment that demanded extreme vigilance and constant adaptability. He also had to ensure both Viktor’s safety and his own while attempting to capture the story, adding further complexity to maintaining an artistic vision under very dangerous and stressful conditions. Thus, he succeeds in finding beauty amidst the horror and creating striking images that will stand the test of time.

Shot in high-contrast black and white, this film offers stunning visual quality. A photographic vision perfectly suited to the film’s subject, Viktor, a photographer.

Added to the visuals is a unique sound design and an intense, highly original auditory experience. The director alternates between raw sound that highlights the violence of war and muffled sounds that allow us to understand what Viktor can actually hear.

Having lost part of his own hearing in an accident, the director can not only understand what his character feels but is also able to make the viewer understand it as well.

War romanticism put to the test of reality 

The strength of the narrative also comes from the notion of broken romanticism. Viktor’s journey traces his transition from the romanticization of war to an understanding of its harsh realities. We see him slowly realize that violence is not an end in itself, but only a necessary means of defense against aggression in a brutal war. As he becomes involved in this conflict, his face changes. From his boyish beginnings as he tries out weapons to the moments when he must photograph bodies, his gaze shifts. We feel something breaking, a loss of innocence.

This story of belonging, resilience, and the struggle to survive in a world that is sonically brutal for some and painfully silent for others is one Sarbil is perfectly placed to tell, having himself lost part of his hearing in a war.

“In 2011, my life took an unexpected turn when I was seriously injured by a rocket launcher while documenting the civil war in Libya. I spent nine months in the hospital, during which time I lost part of my right hand and the hearing in my right ear. Living with unilateral deafness profoundly transformed my perception of the world, including my way of perceiving sound and silence. It is this perspective that led me to explore the world of a deaf man confronted with the chaos of war and the deep, invisible scars that war leaves on the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.”

Although the movie feels quite long, the message gets across. And in any case, to make an endless war felt, a slow film is necessary. By the end, it is not just Viktor who loses his innocence regarding war. For many viewers, a similar loss of war romanticism is likely to occur.

A little more… 

The film also shows how communication is important and sometimes complex in a world at war. In a conflict, much depends on communication, and Viktor learns this the hard way. He wants to contribute to the defense of his country, but because he cannot hear, he is refused entry into the army, despite the need. The director succeeds in making us feel the dilemma. We want him to be able to enlist, but at the same time, we understand it is difficult for other soldiers to put their lives in the hands of someone who might not hear a command.

Regarding the filming, it is interesting to know that the director and Viktor developed a unique communication method combining basic Russian sign language (which Sarbil learned specifically for this project), written notes, and visual aids.

Viktor is not a perfect film. But it opens one’s eyes to several issues that, at first glance, are not related. But we eventually realize that, in life, very often, everything is connected…

Viktor is presented at FIFA on March 14 and 17, 2026.

Trailer

Translation by François Grondin with the help of Gemini.