27/03/2024 - Through the perspective of a cheerleading team made up of penta- and septuagenarians, Mariia Ponomarova trains a fresh lens on life and survival during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

“Five, six, seven, eight!” Amidst a sandy landscape, a group of 12 women in red cheerleading outfits begins a rigorously observed routine, guided by an off-screen coach, who bursts onto the scene to interject: “The centre is right here! Girls, spread out.” On second glance, it’s not your stereotypical cheerleading team; it’s composed of a group of older women, most over 50, although all very spry, nimble and able to do the splits.

Thus opens Mariia Ponomarova’s documentary Nice Ladies, chronicling the eponymous team made up of a group of ageing Ukrainian women grappling with the realities of daily life and a love for cheerleading amidst conflict. The film has just enjoyed its world premiere and is competing for the Dutch Movies Matter Award at the 2024 Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague, Netherlands.

Nice Ladies is a Ukrainian women’s competitive cheerleading (more specifically, cheerdance, which emphasises artistic elements over technical stunts) troupe based in Kharkiv, Eastern Ukraine. But they’re also engineers, university instructors and people who view cheerleading as their passion; Ponomarova focuses on the perspectives of Sveta Stopina, team captain Valia Onyshchenko and coach Nadia Avdasiova. The group’s members are close friends who make sure to show up for each other's birthdays and avidly share photos of children, grandchildren and beloved pets.

The documentary examines their lives after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, amidst external conflict, particularly the tensions that arise between Sveta and Nadia. Sveta contacts Ponomarova (known in the film by her nickname, Masha), who helps bring her to the director’s home in Amsterdam while the rest of the team stays behind in the bombarded city of Kharkiv. The film is quickly undercut by the reality of the war, which overtakes the rest of the narrative. But Ponomarova brings a fresh perspective to films about living within the war in Ukraine – and focuses on a different demographic: independent, older women who have active lives in more ways than one.

The most interesting aspects of the film are only reached in the last third, where difficult discussions around survivor’s guilt and personal responsibility are discussed in hushed (and harsh) tones amongst the team. “A full belly doesn’t understand an empty one,” shouts Nadia at Sveta in the film’s most gripping sequence, revealing greater anxieties around the choice of leaving versus staying – and who has the privilege to do so.

DoP Svetlana Aparina is not afraid to get up close and personal with the Nice Ladies while still maintaining a fly-on-the-wall style. It’s clear that Ponomarova would not have had access to the troupe had she not developed close friendships with them, epitomised by a scene of them all doing facial massage exercises together. The story skims over deeper discussions around societal expectations of the women other than in passing conversation, leaving the viewer wanting more. Nonetheless, it’s guaranteed that the Nice Ladies will win you over.

Nice Ladies was produced by Labyrint Film (Netherlands) and co-produced by Tabor Production (Ukraine). Paris-based CAT&Docs is managing its world sales.