In the Fog

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walter m In occupied territory during World War II, Nazis execute a group of partisans who were possibly turned in by one of their one. Burov(Vladislav Abashin) figures the most likeliest informer is Sushenya(Vladimir Svirskiy), the one the Nazis let go. So, Burov decides to take matters into his own hands, while at least not killing his former comrade in front of his family. And that's when things get complicated. Being on somewhat unfamiliar cinematic ground, "In the Fog" gets off to a promising start. But that's before the movie spends most of its running time chasing its tail, instead of spinning a compelling and suspenseful story. That just goes to prove that the time and place for a philosophical discussion is not a war zone. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ari v Not sure about a few things here. E.g. The very last note, whether or not the film's central character is too much of a unicorn, the general cinematic approach where answers of most any kind - are not even attempted. On the other hand however - the film does stick to its guns admirably. Leaving lots to both think and feel about. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Dull as dishwasher Russian film about collaboration in WW2. Two hours of my life I will never get back. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member In the middle of all the intensity, style and excitement of Tarantino's film, you probably recall an opening scene in <i>Inglourious Basterds</i> which suspense is entirely built on the premise of imminent danger, with a pervasive silence and an excellent evolution of dialogue, which slowly led from one fact to the next, giving us clues of a very probable tragic outcome. <i>In the Fog</i> extends this effect for two hours, and the result is intoxicating. Such description hints that it requires patience, and indeed it does, but it rewards highly to those willing to listen, and to "see the film between the lines", if we could invent such a phrase to reference the act of reading a book attentively. Slowly showing events with a cinematography mostly consisting in long, unedited shots that create an admirable sense of realism, time passing and danger, <i>In the Fog</i> consolidates Russia's top spot and king status in constructing beautiful introspective and humanist anti-war cinematic letters since the 50s until the 70s during the USSR days, until they acquired a more brutally realistic tone in the 80s. <b>TINY SPOILERS AHEAD ABOUT THE FILM'S STRUCTURE, NOT REVEALING ANYTHING ABOUT THE PLOT</b> The most surprising unexpected characteristic of <i>In the Fog</i> is that it slowly reveals its intentions, showing events first and explaining them later, arriving to a point where a sudden turn of events changes the film's storytelling structure completely: it becomes a roller-coaster, taking the backgrounds of three different characters, each with their own agendas and personal troubles, and telling them separately, until arriving once again to the present. This puts the pieces back together and allows to tie loose ends. <b>END OF STRUCTURE SPOILERS</b> That structure allows for the plot to become meaningful as it unfolds, all of this while an invigorating camera work takes us from scenery to scenery, just like in the old film days of the Soviets: the swamps, the forests, the snowy fields, the battlefields, the houses, the fog... All of these, along with the very slow pace, become natural landscapes dissonant with the atrocities of war. In the meantime, thought-provoking discussions between characters reunited by strange circumstances of fate unravel about the trascendence of death, about the burden soldiers carry with respect to the perception that their fellow countrymen have towards them, about the strength to live despite an evident lack of reasons to keep moving forward, and, just like the plot summary properly describes, the capacity of the human condition to opt for the "morally correct" in the context of "immoral" - more properly, catastrophic - circumstances. Very recommended. 79/100 Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I found this to be relatively impenetrable. It seems I'm not the only one. I really went into this one wanting to like it too. Perhaps one day I'll try again. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Curiously captivating despite subdued action and carefully meted out dialogue. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

In the Fog

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