That seems just. This one is a tale of Russian ex-patriots who eagerly return home to the Soviet Union from France in 1946 only to face the horrors of police state terror, torture, exile and, for some, summary execution. The film is dignified and important and rings with a sense of honour and truth. Honour and truth may not be enough, however. East-West is relentlessly depressing and sometimes tedious.
Triumph turns to shame, humiliation and, for some, instant death when the boat docks in Odessa.
The doctor and his family are sent to Kiev and treated like spies, although his medical training is used to advantage. The movie chronicles the next several decades of their monumental suffering. East-West is well acted, particularly by Menchikov and Bonnaire. Deneuve does a decent job and has one remarkable scene in which she stays in costume from an historical play while she leaps into action in the 'real' world. Wargnier's style never lets us forget we are watching a film unfolding before our eyes.