Two Hopes (Dve Nadezdi)

In an icy December, Nadezda boards a train from Berlin to find the father she has never met. In her luggage, her grandmother’s 1967 notebook: a record of another return, to a Ukrainian village erased by Soviet history. Two women, two journeys, one inheritance of exile, hope and home.

Two Hopes blends travel memoir, family mystery, and historical reportage.Determined to find her absent father, Nadezda embarks on a journey to reconnect with her family’s roots. Her grandmother’s voice, also named ‘Nadja’, accompanies her story through diary entries recalling her return to Ukraine in the 1960s. Once a lively hamlet, the area is now a haunting ruin, reflecting the devastation of political upheaval, famine, and Stalinist rule. Memories from a bygone era intertwine, showing how experiences of loss and displacement transcend generations.The two narratives, of grandmother and granddaughter, reveal how history and trauma are passed down, with both women facing cycles of uprootedness and alienation. While grandmother’s story reflects constant displacement, Nadezda’s own journey mirrors the same struggle, as she searches to reconcile the past with the present and find a sense of belonging.