Roma (Roman Lutskyi), his wife Nastia (Anastasiia Karpenko) and Roma’s children the phone obsessed Sofia (Sofia Berezovska) and the cartoon loving Fedir (Fedir Pugachov) are Ukrainians spending a vacation on one of the Canary Islands, Tenerife. Fun and good times and inevitably the departure back to Kiev. But the fun and games abruptly end with their return flight indefinitely cancelled due to the full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24February2022. A military eruption if you prefer.
They return to their hotel and are offered free room and board courtesy of hotel management. They endeavour to continue their holiday but emotions of fear, apprehension, dread, isolation, anger and frustration erupt. At times the familial tension is so high it is as if a final eruption will tear the family to shreds. There is also the spectre of Roma joining the Ukrainian Territorial Forces upon his return to the Ukraine.
The family takes a walk at the foot of Tenerife’s main volcano Mount Teide becoming lost leading to a battle royale between Roma and Nastia whose bickering becomes their normal tone of communication. At one point Nastia explodes in a tirade against Russian tourists at their hotel.
Sofia meets an African migrant Mike who tells of his voyage to Spain along with 55 others to start a “new life.” Mike is in the right place. Mike wishes to remain in Spain. The Ukrainian family is in the wrong place. They wish to return to Ukraine. Both are victims of circumstances and living in a stratum of unreality.
There are 4 scenes in the film of the rough and crashing ocean somewhat symbolic of the storm Ukraine and the family are caught in and the journey that migrants endure travelling to Spain in ramshackle boats.
The family’s visit to an abandoned resort is reminiscent of destroyed Ukrainian villages seen on news reports and documentaries about the war.
Sofia’s walk down the street while fireworks explode amidst a celebration is in metaphorical terms what awaits millions of Ukrainians.
Interpret the film the way you wish but aren’t we all are living under a volcano of sorts waiting for metaphorical eruptions?
The director of “Under the Volcano” is Damian Kocur.
Screens at New York’s Bi-Annual Kino Polska Film Fest on 13September2025.
The film was submitted as Poland’s official entry for the Best International Film at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.
RKS 2025 Film Rating 87/100.
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