one of the best non English language films to date.

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2005)

I'm from england, and i had never heard of this film before i came across it on t.v on film four. its a shame quality films pass so many people by in this way yet some of the rubbish that is made is widely available, really it should be the other way round, with the quality films more accessible and the dire ones harder to find....never going to happen though.
i have no problem with subtitles, most of my best loved films are not in English, and this one ill come back to time and time again. the transformation of the lead is mesmerising to say the least, going from child to somewhat of a middle aged shell is acted out spot on, if only for his emotional expressions alone. The darkness of the piece is what first grabbed me, the dark dusky lighting of the Russian forest adds to the impending doom and gloom of certain danger at the hands of the Nazis, the darkness is broken for a wonderfully shot dream sequence dreamt by the boy, only adding to the nightmare from which he may never wake nor recover.
9.5 / 10