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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Tommi remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for dusty, historical dramas that don't care about looking pretty, sure. If you need a fast-paced thriller to keep your eyes glued to the screen, keep walking.
This isn't for everyone. It is a slow burn that relies more on the weight of the moment than any actual plot twists.
There is something about the way these older films frame a landscape that feels inherently lonely. You can almost smell the damp wool and the wet mud in every shot of the Russian countryside.
It makes The Bat Whispers look like a high-budget carnival by comparison. Not that that is a bad thing, necessarily.
Watching our lead character wander away from the Whites and into the arms of the Reds felt… complicated. The movie doesn't spend a lot of time explaining his psychology. He just does it. It is refreshing, honestly.
Most films today would force a ten-minute monologue about his internal struggle. Here? He just packs his bag and goes. It felt real.
I kept thinking about Peace in Pieces while watching the tactical scenes. Both have that same raw, unpolished energy where it feels like the camera is just lucky to be in the room.
There is this one shot of a campfire that lingers for way too long. It is just wood crackling and some shadows. I don't know if the editor fell asleep or if they wanted us to feel the cold, but it worked on me.
The dialogue is sparse. It gets right to the point. Nobody is trying to be clever or profound. They are just trying to survive a winter that seems like it might never end.
It’s not a perfect movie. Parts of it sag in the middle, and the pacing is erratic. But it has a soul. You can tell they actually cared about the story they were telling, even if they didn't have the tools to make it look like a Hollywood epic. 📽️