The "house made of splinters" is an East Ukrainian shelter for children temporarily taken away from their mostly alcoholic parents that is situated about 20 kilometers from the Russian border. Social Services provide up to nine months of care (a warm bed, 6 meals a day) for these children until either their parents reclaim them, or they are sent to a state orphanage. This documentary followed four adorable pre-teen children as they made friends and played, attempted to phone their parents, and generally managed to cope with their situation. It's presented verité style with little background information and an amazingly invisible camera (the children never actually acknowledge the presence of the camera, which is remarkable in itself.) The film totally involves the viewer into these children's more or less peaceful, controlled world; but clearly it took place before the 2022 Russian invasion, and the specter of future hardship of warfare for these kids lingers under the surface.