42 | JANUARY 4 • 2024 J
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atya’s Hand may have a short run-
time of just 24 minutes, but that
doesn’t mean the award-winning
narrative short film doesn’t pack a punch.
Directed by Israeli filmmaker Tom
Shoval, the 2023 Ukrainian- and Hebrew-
language Academy Award-qualifying film
details the harrowing, emotionally charged
life of a Ukrainian immigrant and single
mother of an 11-year-old son and newborn.
As a mom of two with no outside help,
Katya (Anastasia Fein) is a full-time mom
by night and construction crane operator by
day, working hard to make ends meet.
On a particularly windy and stormy day
with bleak skies up above, Katya is offered
a job that no other crane operator will take.
The reason: It’s far too dangerous.
Needing the money to care for her chil-
dren, Katya is forced to leave behind her
11-year-old son, Lyosha, to watch his baby
brother, Vadim, who is ill with a cold.
Katya, who is barely healed from the
postpartum phase and still wears a postpar-
tum diaper, has no choice but to provide
for her family. She takes the job and heads
to the construction site to climb up into
the crane, which waves precariously in the
wind.
The next 14 minutes that
ensue are pure tension.
Katya maneuvers the crane
back and forth, unable to
get construction blocks into
place due to the impending
storm. The strengthening
wind is tangling the cable,
and the machine ceases to work properly.
Lyosha, meanwhile, is caring for an
increasingly agitated Vadim, whose condi-
tion worsens as they wait for their mother
to return home.
Assuming the role of caregiver, 11-year-
old Lyosha rocks and soothes his baby
brother, even carrying him in a baby carrier
as his mother traditionally would.
The physical danger is imminent for all:
Katya, for being stuck in a malfunctioning
crane, and Lyosha, who at the end of the
day is only a child and can only do so much
for Vadim.
Lyosha tries to reach his mother by
phone, but the incoming phone call only
distracts Katya from her job, leading her to
burst into tears and scream in frustration.
Finally, the block is hoisted back up by
the crane and set down onto the ground.
It’s a tale that many can relate to — the
challenges of being an immigrant, single
mother or both. Given the recent geopolit-
ical events in Ukraine and Israel, the story
hits closer to home than ever.
As Ukrainians and Israelis navigate
ongoing war, we remember that beneath
the news stories and turmoil are real people
with real lives, real problems and real emo-
tions.
While Katya’s Hand, which won Best
Short Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival,
is a brief exploration of the tug-of-war
between work and family, the short’s impact
is long-lasting.
We don’t know Katya’s situation in detail,
such as what happened to the boys’ father
or why she is a single mother, but many
of us, especially parents, can relate to the
unyielding need to provide for our children
— regardless of the risk involved.
ARTS&LIFE
FILM
Award-winning short
details the plight of a
Ukrainian immigrant and
single mother.
Katya’s
Hand
BY ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY
Katya’s Hand examines a mother struggling
to care for her children in Ukraine.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM SHOVAL
Katya (Anastasia
Fein) takes the
long climb to
a dangerous
job she took to
provide for her
children.
✡