A Score in Absence, a documentary directed by Potomac filmmaker Max Rykov, explores the resilience of young Ukrainian pianist Khrystyna Mykhailichenko as she uses music to represent her country globally amid ongoing conflict. The film recently made its local debut at the 14th annual Bethesda Film Festival at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema.
Rykov, who moved from Kyiv to the United States in 2006 and grew up in the Bethesda area, first met Mykhailichenko in 2015. At that time, she was a nine-year-old piano prodigy whose family had already fled Crimea to Irpin following Russia’s annexation of the region. Years later, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mykhailichenko and her family were forced to flee once again from the Kyiv region.
Reconnecting in late 2022, Rykov began documenting Mykhailichenko’s journey as a displaced 17-year-old artist preparing for European concert performances—including in Poland and London—to raise money for Ukraine and maintain a “cultural front.” The project spanned four years, combining long-term observation with iterative editing at Rykov’s family home in Potomac.
Rykov emphasizes that the film aims to highlight Ukrainian identity and culture, showing that there is much more to Ukraine than just war, and that art serves as a powerful act of resistance and a tangible way to support the nation. Mykhailichenko, now 20 years old, hopes the documentary reminds audiences that the war continues and encourages deeper interest in Ukrainian artists and cultural heritage as she carries her work onto international stages. Both the filmmaker and his subject hope the project will resonate broadly as it begins to circulate beyond Bethesda.
