‘The Cranes Call’ Review: Documentary’s Hunt for Russian War Criminals Is the Stuff of Studio Thrillers

Tribeca 2024: Laura Warner’s film follows criminal investigators with a riveting cinematic flare

"The Cranes Call," Tribeca Film Festival 2024
"The Cranes Call," Tribeca Film Festival 2024

If you walked into a theater showing Laura Warner’s “The Cranes Call” by accident, two things would happen. First, you’d probably assume it was a David Fincher movie for several minutes, given its dark mystery storyline, piercing photography and intense editing. Second, you’d probably sit down and watch the whole thing because it’s a hell of a film.

“The Cranes Call” is the latest documentary about the ongoing, horrifying Russian invasion of Ukraine. It follows Anya Neistat, a human rights activist working for the Clooney Foundation for Justice, run by Amal Clooney and her husband George. Neistat enlists the aid of Ukrainian activist Solomiia Stasiv to investigate Russian war crimes — murder, torture, sexual assault, bombing of civilians — with the goal of building such an airtight case that every country in the world could claim “universal jurisdiction” to prosecute any and all perpetrators should the opportunity arise.

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