There Was, There Was Not, the feature-length debut of writer-director Emily Mkrtichian, abruptly shifts its focus halfway, or so, through. The first part follows Gayane Hambardzumyan, Svetlana Harutunyan, Siranush Sargsyan, and Sosé Balasanyan, each of whom is an Armenian woman living in Artsakh. Hambardzumyan runs an advocacy and outreach organization for women. Harutunyan is a single mother whose job as a de-miner constantly worries her about her daughters’ safety. Sargsyan is running for city council and doing everything she can to get the word out about her campaign. Balasanyan trains day in, day out to represent the Armenian people in the Olympics for judo.
“…an on-the-ground look at how the victims of genocide cope as it is happening.”
Mkrtichian uses the camera to place the audience directly into the lives of these four women. Every up and every down is observed almost as if we are the closest of friends with them. The subjects treat the camera, a.k.a. Emily Mkrtichian, as a constant and welcoming presence. While there is a genial ease to this portion, it does become somewhat dull as viewers try to piece together the subjects’ connections and why the narrative is following them in particular. The loose plot stems from the filmmaker being forced to alter the premise on the fly. To be fair, the talk of the 1990s war and genocide weighs heavily on each, adding gravitas to how they go through their daily routines.
The aforementioned plot shift stems from the unprovoked invasion of Artsakh. Here There Was, There Was Not transforms into an on-the-ground look at how the victims of genocide cope as it is happening. The director happened to be in Artsakh when Azerbaijan attacked without any provocation. Balasanyan joins the military to reclaim her homeland. Sargsyan begins to document what’s happening. Harutunyan focuses on helping her fellow Armenians deal with unexploded missiles and be prepared in case of a siege. Hambardzumyan visits hotels and refugee camps to determine what supplies displaced individuals need.
"…a necessary and important watch."
