After the RainAfter the Rain

After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home is a powerful and deeply human documentary from director Sarah McCarthy that confronts one of the most harrowing humanitarian crises of the modern era. Set in a forest retreat on the Baltic Sea, the film follows a group of Ukrainian families as they begin the slow and painful process of healing after their children were illegally deported to Russia during the ongoing war. At the heart of the story are the children themselves - survivors of forced separation - who begin to rediscover trust and joy through animal-assisted therapy with golden retrievers and Palomino horses. In the hands of compassionate counselors, their trauma gradually unfolds, revealing the emotional and psychological toll of displacement, fear, and resilience. McCarthy's lens captures not only the quiet moments of recovery but also the families' unwavering determination to reclaim what was taken from them. The result is an intimate portrait of strength and renewal that connects personal healing with global accountability - the very atrocities that led to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.