Jacob's Century(2016)

Jacob's Century is a Ukrainian historical series that traces a century of upheaval through the life of Yakiv Mekh, a Volyn peasant whose long existence spans wars, displacement, and heartbreak. Childhood love for Ulyana ends when her parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy suitor, forcing Yakiv to abandon his village and enlist in the Polish army. There he encounters Zosia, a Polish noblewoman, beginning a new chapter in his fractured life. Across decades of conflict, captivity, and loss, Yakiv endures the grinding brutality of Eastern European history. Yet beneath the suffering lies an intimate portrait of resilience—how one man preserves his humanity and capacity to love amid the collapse of empires and nations. The series balances personal longing with the sweep of historical tragedy, grounding Ukraine's turbulent past in the quiet dignity of ordinary survival.