Strange tale, supposedly based on true events that took place in the aftermath of WWII. A group of German prisoners are sent to await their ultimate fates at a Russian transit camp normally occupied by, and guarded by, women. An excellent cast, solid camera work, and bleak Russian… More
Strange tale, supposedly based on true events that took place in the aftermath of WWII. A group of German prisoners are sent to await their ultimate fates at a Russian transit camp normally occupied by, and guarded by, women. An excellent cast, solid camera work, and bleak Russian locations (not many places can duplicate the harshness of a Russian winter) are somewhat offset by the weakness of the script and the lack of focus from the director. John Malkovich is quite menacing as the Russian commandant, Pavlov, who enlists the aid of Natasha (Vera Farmiga) the camp doctor in ferreting out the war criminals. Complicating matters, the good doctor's husband guards the gate to the camp and has been severely disabled by shell shock. The problem with the story for this viewer was that it seemed like the director could not decide whether he was telling an improbable love story between former enemies, a story of forgiveness and redemption, or a straight out depiction of brutality and intrigue. A few plot elements, and especially in the last twenty minutes, were hard to swallow and wound up leaving this viewer unable to make up his mind about this. The strength of the cast and their performance, including Thomas Kretschmann as the German soldier who attracts the interest of the doctor, earns this film a three and a half star rating. One has to suspect that scenes that would have helped make sense of this may have wound up on the cutting room floor. Either that or the director, Tom Roberts, needs to stick to documentaries.