The missing 'e' in the title (normally spelled "shtetl") is a reference to Georges Perec's La disparition, a 1969 novel which doesn't contain the letter. The missing 'e', in French pronounced the same way as "eux" (they), represents, according to Walter, their absence, the void left behind in the Shoah; Perec's father died in the war, and his mother was killed in Auschwitz.[8]
On September 8, 2023, it was announced that Shttl is on the shortlist to represent Ukraine for the 96th Academy Awards.[9]
Mendele, an aspiring filmmaker, has left his Hasidic community and joined the Red Army. On June 21, 1941, he returns to his shtetl in Western Ukraine, along with his Ukrainian best friend, Demyan. They plan to run away with the Rebbe's daughter, Yuna. However, she is already set to marry Folie, a zealous Hasid hoping to succeed the Rebbe as leader of the shtetl.
The Soviet Union has already been infiltrating the shtetl, indoctrinating the community with Soviet propaganda, and threatening the Jewish way of life. The conflict of contemporary ideologies is inflamed by Mendele's presence, as he speaks with old friends and intervenes in local matters.
In March, 2021, the Ukrainian press announced plans to film Shttl, a co-production between Ukrainian, French and Belgian producers, with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency.[11]
Production designer Ivan Levchenko and art director Iuliia Antykova constructed a village 60 kilometers from Kyiv. The crew built 25 buildings, including one of the largest hand-painted synagogues in the world, and collected historical artifacts from all over Ukraine to fill the sets.[4]
On September 1, 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that principal photography on the film had wrapped.[4] The set was to be turned into a museum, but now remains inaccessible due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]
The film was released in cinemas in Ukraine on October 26, 2023.[14]
It opened in France on December 13, 2023,[15] where it continued its theatrical run for fourteen consecutive weeks.[16]
Reception
Critical response
Barry Levitt of /Film rated the film a 10 out of 10, calling it "a towering, single-take masterpiece of the lives we've lost."[5]
Joshua Polanski of Boston Hassle gave the film a positive review and wrote, "It’s a fascinating film worth checking out, and I doubt there is another film with quite the same chutzpah."[17]
International critics received the film with enthusiasm, calling Shttl "a hypnotic masterpiece from an exciting new voice."[18]
Festivals and accolades
Partial list of international film festivals and awards for Shttl
