THE LAST
TRAIN / POSLEDNIJ POEZD
RUSSIA 2003
DIRECTED BY: ALEKSEJ GERMAN JR., 82 MIN
Russia, the German Eastern Front, Winter. Medical doctor Paul Fischbach
arrives at the front – only to find out that nobody really knows
anymore where the front is supposed to be. Everything is in flux, without
any indication of military order whatsoever. The only people Fischbach
meets are desolate soldiers, trying to save their skin. The characters’
raspy coughing permeates the film and sets the atmosphere. With an old
officer, Fischbach wanders aimlessly through the snowstorm – always
in danger of being shot by partisans. Both sides are shown as they kill
senselessly and die cruelly. We can gather from the conversations the
doctor has with his comrade that he is convinced of the senselessness
of the war and his role in it – but that does not save him from
feeling absolutely lost and finally vanishing in this white hell.
Young russian director Aleksej German jr. developed the story from tales
told in his family: some of his relatives were murdered by National Socialists,
others were saved by them. Before him, his famous father got lots of attention
for his unusual – and for a long time disparaged – view of
the war (PROVERKA NA DOROGAKH / CHECKPOINT). The son has shot his radical
antiwar film in black and white. He portrays the defence of the motherland
not as a heroic act, but shows the helplessness of people drawn into the
mechanics of destruction – an explosive departure from the prevailing
Russian point-of-view.
Caligari: 25.04. / 3.30 p.m.
Bambi: 26.04. / 8.15 p.m.
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