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.

✡