The title phrase is akin to “once upon a time.” Idyllic early scenes, with great light and open spaces, a portrait of some interesting women in Artsakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A year into filming, Azerbaijan attacked the region, eventually conquering it, turning the gentle feminist doc into a war film, and a portrait of a country that no longer exists. Our local heroes – aspiring politician, helper of women in need, mother and landmine-defuser – have to join their countrymen in fleeing to Armenia. Most horrible is the story of Sose: a young, committed judo instructor turned soldier, the light blown out of her eyes. She was present at our screening, wrapped in her homeland’s flag. Opener Lia Kohl played ambient keyboard sounds with birdsong and modem noise, then cello, and was fully drowned out by the post-dinner crowd.

Robert Daniels got the press pack and knows all their names:

Mkrtichian has an intriguing quartet of subjects: Sose Balasanyan is a soft-hearted Judo instructor and world-class competitor; the undeterred Siranush Sargsyan is running for public office in a male dominated political field. While supporting her three daughters, the fearless Sveta Harutunyan defuses landmines littered across the countryside from the previous war; Gayane Hambardzumyan works at a Women’s Center she founded to help heal the scars of abuse. Scenes featuring Sose’s adorable grandmother give the first half of the film a lightness; as do seeing these women living empowering professional lives. That gaiety crumbles in the second half, as missiles shatter the ground and the skies are lit by ammunition. Each woman loses something, only granted a shell of a new life to replace their now destroyed homes.