Each day is a struggle between each prisoner and the state. Whether outwitting the guards in the filthy mess hall, aiding a comrade in the densely populated bunks or meeting the construction quota at the snow covered worksite, each condition represents another agonizing battle to be fought. Today has been good. Ivan Denisovich earned extra food, he found a sawtooth blade to use for trade and this morning he slept late. His victories outweighed his losses.
Night brings relief.
Another day has passed. He accomplished the impossible. He has survived. Testament to the human condition within a Soviet labor camp, this film portrays the angst and hope conveyed by Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his internationally acclaimed novel. It is the dazzling and harrowing tale told with spectacle, beauty and nobility of the famed 15th Century icon painter who survives the cruelties of medieval Russia and creates works of art.