Stay Online (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

In the heart of the Ukrainian-Russian war, a young woman, Katya (Lisa Zaitseva), becomes immersed in a mystery that may determine the survival of a young boy’s father. Stay Online begs the question of whether or not we should get involved in others’ affairs, and if altruism comes with a price. 

Stay Online is a mystery-drama that falls in line with films such as Missing and Searching, existing almost entirely on a computer screen. The integration of different computer applications (Facebook, iMessage, etc.) helps to develop something familiar that allows viewers to connect with Katya and understand her struggles, even in the face of something that feels unfathomable. Stay Online is a visceral and often over-stimulating experience that uses the familiar to express the unthinkable. The immersive experience is key to the film’s success, the key to Stay Online appealing to viewers and allowing them to understand the gravity of what’s occurring before Katya. 

Editing is the most important aspect of Stay Online, as the editing team has to ensure that things are flawless. The world is privy to how the presented technologies work, causing the film to fall on judgemental eyes, knowing eyes. We can’t be distracted by things going on in the background, as the computer screen remains front and center throughout–and as this team manages to create something seamless and fluid, Stay Online becomes more believable, accessible, and well-received. The expert editing allows the film to remain immersive throughout, and it’s important to note that this is a true masterclass in editing. 

With the positives comes negatives as well. The film is fluid, telling the story in a straightforward fashion from start to finish. However, Director Yeva Strielnikova develops a story that has a series of moving parts, and while they are pieced together seamlessly, it’s sometimes difficult to follow the abundance of content present throughout. Being pulled back and forth from place to place and story to story, viewers will certainly take issue with the frumpily aggressive nature of Stay Online. Flawless transitions from scene to scene can’t save this aspect of Stay Online–and sadly the film takes a tiny step backward every time a new piece is brought into the fold. 

Stay Online is a political film covering the Russian-Ukrainian war–a topic that has received an abundance of coverage since it first began. I can’t remember an event during my time for which filmmakers were so quick to jump at the opportunity to create media surrounding it. I’ve seen far too many films about this war over the past couple of years, and while that’s not the fault of Strielnikova, this area of filmmaking is saturated. Stay Online approaches the topic uniquely, but not enough so that I feel it will welcome a massive following. 

Stay Online is one of the best edited films that I’ve seen in years–as it tasks its editing team with what feels almost impossible. Hundreds of moving pieces at any given time, and never does this team slip up. A visceral film, Stay Online uses the familiar to welcome viewers into a world that still feels unfathomable, though the repetition of content feels like it may weigh too heavily on its critical reception. Stay Online has its ups and downs. Its peaks are brilliant, but its valleys come dangerously close to ruining the film. There’s a bit of a love, hate relationship between Stay Online and myself, but at the end of the day, Strielnikova develops an emotional film that will likely strike a chord with most. 

Directed by Yeva Strielnikova. 

Written by Anton Skrypets & Yeva Strielnikova. 

Starring Liza Zaitseva, Oleksandr Rudynskyi, Hordii Dziubynski, Olesia Zhurakivski, Anton Skrypets, etc. 

6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE